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US: Pro sports face class antitrust claims

By  |  May 14, 2015

A federal judge on Thursday said television viewers may pursue a class-action lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Comcast Corp, DirecTV and other broadcasters of illegally restricting their ability to watch their favorite sports teams play.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said the viewers suffered from “a dearth of choice in the market for baseball and hockey broadcasting,” and that it made sense for them to pursue their claims as a group.

At issue were agreements that limit where certain games can be broadcast. Consumers have said this causes “anticompetitive blackouts” that force them to pay more.

 

Full content: Bloomberg

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