NFL hit with massive verdict in Sunday Ticket trial

But there will be an appeal

The jury has returned with a verdict in the lawsuit the National Football League was facing concerning the NFL Sunday Ticket package, and the shield is currently on the hook for a lot of money.

Per our own Mark Schofield, the jury came back with a verdict saying that the NFL owes $96 million to the commercial class of plaintiffs involved in the case, which includes bars, restaurants, and other establishments. As far as residential customers are concerned, the jury determined that the NFL has to pay out $4.7 billion in damage. Because such damages are tripled under federal anti-trust laws, that means the league is on the hook for just over $14 billion.

The league has, obviously, already announced that they will be appealing the verdict.

What does that mean for us? According to Schofield’s article,

Beyond the dollar amount, which will drive the headlines, many analysts and experts theorize that this decision paves the way for single-team packages. For example, the residential class of plaintiffs, who were purchasing “Sunday Ticket” for use at home, were often fans of an out-of-market NFL team. As an example, consider a New England Patriots fan living in the Baltimore, Maryland market. The only way to watch most Patriots games is to purchase “Sunday Ticket.”

Now, that fan might theoretically have access to a “Patriots Package” as part of “Sunday Ticket.”

For the commercial plaintiffs, this could open the door to a competitive service along with “Sunday Ticket,” which could allow those establishments to pay lower prices to view broadcasts of every NFL game.

This means that there’s at least a chance that it’s become easier. . .and cheaper. . .for Minnesota Vikings fans who live outside of the primary Twin Cities market to have access to Vikings games going forward. We’ll see what the NFL does with the Sunday Ticket package going forward. I know that I got an e-mail the other day from the folks at YouTube TV saying that my Sunday Ticket was set to renew in early August, but who knows what could change between now and then?

What do you think of the verdict, folks? Do we have any legal types among us that can get into this in greater detail?