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Broadcasters Urge FCC to Revisit Sports Antitrust Rules Amid Shifting Media Landscape

By  |  April 1, 2026

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider longstanding policies governing sports broadcasting, as industry stakeholders respond to evolving trends in how live sports are distributed and consumed. The request comes as part of a broader set of filings submitted in response to a Feb. 25 FCC Media Bureau public notice seeking input on changes in the sports media marketplace and their impact on consumers and local television stations.

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    According to a statement included in filings under MB Docket No. 26-45, the NAB is urging regulators to accelerate the transition to the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard while also reexamining the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. The proceeding has drawn significant attention, with more than 8,500 comments submitted since the docket was opened to assess how shifts in sports distribution affect the public interest.

    Broadcasters, including the NAB, Fox, and Sinclair, presented similar conclusions in their filings, though each offered distinct supporting data. Central to their argument is the continued dominance of over-the-air television in attracting large audiences for live sports. According to a statement citing viewership data, NFL games broadcast on Thanksgiving Day 2025 averaged 44.7 million viewers across CBS, Fox, and NBC. One matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys drew an average of 57.2 million viewers, described by the league as the most-watched regular season game on record.

    By contrast, streaming platforms posted lower figures for comparable events. Amazon Prime Video’s Black Friday NFL game reached 16.3 million viewers, while its Christmas Day game averaged 21.06 million, per a statement included in the filings.

    Related: Lawmakers Press for Review of Sports Broadcasting Act as Streaming Shifts Accelerate

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    Additional data highlighted the broader reach of traditional broadcasts. Fox reported that NFL games accounted for 83 of the 100 most-watched television broadcasts in 2025, while Sinclair cited figures showing that 96 of the top 100 telecasts were sports events, including 92 NFL or college football games. Fox also pointed to its own programming performance, noting that the World Baseball Classic final drew 10.78 million viewers, the largest audience in the tournament’s history, according to a statement.

    The filings also emphasized concerns about the growing fragmentation of sports content across multiple platforms. Broadcasters argued that this shift has led to increased consumer frustration and rising costs, as fans must subscribe to multiple services to access games. According to a statement in the submissions, this fragmentation threatens the financial model that supports local journalism, which relies heavily on revenue generated by live sports programming.

    Fox noted that its owned-and-operated stations produce an average of 60 hours of local news per week. The company cited the 2025 Southern California wildfires as an example where sports-driven revenue helped sustain extended emergency coverage. Sinclair similarly stated that local broadcast stations remain among the largest producers of original local journalism in the United States and often serve as the primary source of news in many communities.

    However, broadcasters warned that their financial footing has weakened in recent years. Sinclair reported that local television’s share of total local media spending fell by more than half between 2017 and 2025, while streaming platforms grew their share from 15 percent to 50 percent, according to a statement.

    The NAB further underscored the economic importance of sports to broadcast television, noting that live sports accounted for nearly 40 percent of all U.S. national television advertising spending during NFL seasons in late 2022 and 2023. Per a statement citing Nielsen data, the start of the NFL season also triggered a 20 percent increase in broadcast viewing month over month. Sinclair added that NFL games generate an estimated $6 billion to $7 billion annually in advertising revenue.

    As the FCC reviews the extensive record compiled in MB Docket No. 26-45, broadcasters are pressing regulators to consider how policy changes could preserve access to live sports while sustaining the local news ecosystem that depends on it.

    Source: News Cast Studio