DirecTV Sued Regarding NFL Sunday Ticket: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against DirecTV and the NFL in an effort to make individual games available for purchase instead of having to buy the season-long Sunday Ticket package.   

According to Daniel Frankel of FierceCable.com, an NFL fan named Thomas Abrahamian filed the lawsuit in a California federal court, alleging that having Sunday Ticket exclusively on DirecTV creates an illegal monopoly. 

"A Cleveland Browns fan living in California cannot watch the Browns play, except occasional games on network television, unless he purchases the entire package of League games from NFL Sunday Ticket," the complaint states.

Per Ken Fang of AwfulAnnouncing.com, the NHL faced a similar lawsuit and settled by making single-team streaming packages available for purchase, and the NBA later announced single-game and team options for its League Pass service after the NHL's suit was settled. 

Fang also noted the lawsuit lists the NFL, DirecTV and all 32 teams as defendants. 

In 2014, per Forbes.com, the NFL and DirecTV renewed their agreement through the 2022 season, with the league getting nearly $1.5 billion per year. The report did note that streaming services were made available as part of the new deal but still required a $199.99 purchase for the entire season. 

Other sports leagues have made individual games and team packages available for purchase. However, the NFL has never done that since partnering with DirecTV since 1994, so this lawsuit aims to change that 21-year arrangement.