NFL Commissioner Goodell to testify on broadcasting rights

The NFL faces mounting scrutiny from Congress over its media rights strategy, with Commissioner Roger Goodell formally invited to testify at a hearing examining the league's compliance with a decades-old antitrust law. The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Jim Jordan, requested Goodell's appearance at a June 10 hearing titled "Examining the Sports Broadcasting Act."

The hearing will focus on the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, a law that grants professional sports leagues a limited antitrust exemption to collectively negotiate television rights rather than having individual teams sell their own packages. Lawmakers plan to examine whether this framework, established before the rise of cable and streaming services, is now harming consumers by creating unfair conditions.

This congressional inquiry coincides with an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into whether the NFL's media practices are anticompetitive. The Federal Trade Commission has also sought public feedback on the migration of live sports to streaming platforms. These parallel efforts signal growing regulatory concern over how major leagues distribute their content.