Older fans can recall the days when almost all NFL contests were broadcasted on outlets such as CBS, FOX and NBC. Nowadays, however, the league’s games are featured on several streaming services, and a lot of people are irked about it, including President Donald Trump, lawmakers and regulators.
Despite the pressure, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it very clear Tuesday at the league’s Spring Meeting: the NFL is carrying on with no hesitation. (RELATED: NFL Continues Expansion Outside America With 10 International Games Approved For 2027)
“We’re incredibly proud of our policies, and they’ve been incredibly effective from a fan standpoint,” said Goodell, per EssentiallySports. “So, I think our games are the most available of any games by far from any league. I think 87 percent-plus are on free television; 100 percent are on in the local markets. So we’re very proud of that.
“We will always look at it, potentially adjusting that. But I think we’ve done a great job in that. We’ll continue to try to focus on how we can improve it if there’s an opportunity.”
Roger Goodell on the NFL’s policies governing over-the-air broadcasts of its games: pic.twitter.com/MzhgQAppd0
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) May 19, 2026
The league is defending their commitment to television broadcasters, while Goodell continues to point out that when it comes to free TV, 87% of the NFL’s contests are still available there. Fans of the NFL in regional markets are still able to spectate every contest that involves their home franchise. With that being said, fans still need multiple paid subscriptions in order to access the entire league schedule.
“I don’t like it,” said President Trump, per EssentiallySports. “They’re making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less. They could let the people see. You have people who live for Sunday.”
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch had a private conversation with the president regarding his concerns with the NFL moving towards streaming platforms and impacting television networks, a source familiar with the events of the evening told The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an antitrust investigation into the league in April.
A lot of the NFL‘s dominance when it comes to money was built courtesy of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, granting antitrust protection to the league and requiring contests to be broadcasted on television networks that are free, per EssentiallySports. However, the Act can be considered outdated here in the streaming service era. With this being the case, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who is the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, has requested regulators to have a review into whether or not the distribution model from the league complies in the present.