NFL turns down ESPN's offer to slash Sunday ticket price to $70: report

The NFL is currently involved in a legal hearing in Los Angeles over the Sunday Ticket. Restaurants, bars, and several individuals who allegedly had to pay inflated prices to watch their teams play took action against the league.

As of now, the plaintiffs, who are seeking close to $7 billion in damages, have a strong chance of winning the case. The NFL could be required to pay $21 billion because the amount will be tripled under federal law.

According to Courthouse News Service, ESPN had proposed a Sunday Ticket price of just $70 for the entire 2023 season. ESPN's price was significantly lower than YouTube TV's $349 for the upcoming season, but the NFL refused that offer.

The NFL's chief media and business officer, Brian Rolapp, said during the trial that the league's business model is the best in the world; a change in the prices is unlikely. Under Commissioner Roger Goodell, the league has grown immensely, and since the NFL's value is increasing every year, it will be quite surprising to see prices going down in the near future.

Streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix have also entered the NFL broadcasting business, which contributes to the league's overall growth. The NFL salary cap will be $255.4 million for every team in 2024, and it's only made possible by the business model operated by the league.

As for the lawsuit, it will be interesting to see what happens next, since, presently, it looks like the league will have to pay a large sum to all the plaintiffs.

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Details on lawsuit filed against NFL for Sunday Ticket's prices

Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs

This lawsuit against the NFL was initially filed in 2015. The plaintiffs claimed that the league violated antitrust law by not allowing teams to individually sell their own out-of-market game rights. Due to this, the customers had to pay for all the games, which cost a lot more.

The lawsuit states that the NFL broke the antitrust law after they allowed DirecTv to sell separate packages for out-of-market afternoon games airing on CBS and FOX. It enabled a further rise in the cost of the services, and hence, people are looking to get compensated for the damages.

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