The Green Bay Packers have urged US lawmakers to preserve the Sports Broadcasting Act, warning that changes to the NFL’s collective media rights model could pose an “existential threat” to smaller franchises.
The Green Bay Packers have warned potential changes to US sports broadcasting law could pose an “existential threat” to the franchise, as policymakers review the legal framework underpinning the National Football League’s media rights model.
In a 26 March letter addressed to Scott Fitzgerald, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, the Packers urged lawmakers to preserve the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (SBA).
“As the only publicly owned franchise in American professional sports, and by far the smallest market team in the NFL, we respectfully request that the Committee recognise the essential role this legacy piece of legislation has played in sustaining our small market team,” wrote Aaron Popkey, Director of Public Affairs at the Packers.
The franchise stated that the SBA’s provision allowing the NFL to negotiate national broadcast rights collectively has “worked for nearly 70 years”, enabling revenue-sharing that places all teams “on stable financial footing”.
Without those protections, the Packers warned, financial disparities between large and small markets would widen significantly.
“Any need for independent media negotiations would inevitably concentrate broadcast value in large markets,” the letter stated. “This would undermine financial equity and therefore disrupt competitive balance, threatening the ability of the Packers to meaningfully compete.”
The team added that any disruption to the current model “would pose an existential threat to the Green Bay Packers and their existence in Green Bay as we know it”.
Regulatory pressure builds
The intervention comes as the NFL’s media rights structure faces growing scrutiny in Washington.
The US Department of Justice is reportedly investigating whether the league’s broadcast and distribution strategy has contributed to rising costs for fans, particularly as games are increasingly split across multiple platforms.
Recent agreements with streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, have added to a fragmented viewing landscape, with exclusive packages covering a limited number of games but commanding significant fees .
According to estimates, fans seeking access to all NFL games in a single season could face costs approaching $935 across various subscriptions.
The shift has prompted political concern with more than 8,000 comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the migration of live sports from traditional television to streaming platforms, while lawmakers have warned that consolidation across leagues and distributors could further increase costs for viewers.
A challenge to the NFL model
At the centre of the debate is the SBA, which provides a limited antitrust exemption allowing leagues such as the NFL to sell media rights collectively. The model has underpinned the NFL’s commercial growth, with the league generating an estimated $11bn per season from its current media rights agreements, which run through to 2033.
However, critics argue that the same structure may now be contributing to market concentration and reduced consumer choice.
The Packers’ letter represents a direct defence of the system from within the league, framing the SBA not only as a commercial mechanism but as a foundation for competitive balance.
“As the Committee evaluates a potential hearing on this topic or changes to the Act, we respectfully urge you to consider the impact that alterations to the core principles of the SBA would pose to the competitive operations of NFL teams,” the letter concluded.
