D.C. Memo: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Warns NFL Streaming Deals Undercut Basis for League's Antitrust Exemption
FCC Chairman says, 'You effectively have to have a computer science degree ... ' to keep track of the migration of marquee sports to streaming platforms
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TV Sports: An antitrust exemption is at risk if the NFL and other sports continue to move their games from free TV to subscription streaming services, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Sunday. “We’re at a point now where I think some of these leagues are at a tipping point where they’re going to push this issue so far that they start to lose their antitrust exemption,” Carr said to Fox & Friends Weekend host Griff Jenkins, who had his own concerns about the cost and complexity that come with the fragmentation of sports programming among free TV, cable, and streaming outlets. “You’re looking at nearly $2,500 a year that you would have to shell out to have a near half dozen or more apps just to watch the games,” Jenkins said. Carr agreed. “It’s more complex. It’s more costly. You effectively have to have a computer science degree to decipher this,” Carr said. On Feb. 25, the FCC released a public notice saying it was taking a close look at sports broadcasting practices and marketplace developments. The agency has so far received more than 8,000 comments. (More after paywall)
