Justice Department launches bombshell NFL probe that could blow up antitrust exemption

The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the National Football League’s potentially anticompetitive practices, amid mounting concerns that it has become much more difficult and pricey for sports fans to watch their favorite teams, according to a report.Leagues are currently protected from antitrust action under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which has allowed teams to pool their media rights together into massive TV packages. FCC Chair Brendan Carr told The Post late last month that the NFL could lose its exemptions if it sticks too many live games behind paywalls, as fans shell out as much as $1,500 a year to watch every pro football game across several streaming services.The nature and scope of the investigation, reported by the Wall Street Journal, were not immediately clear.The NFL and Department of Justice did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.In February, the Federal Communications Commission asked the public for comment on how the shift from traditional broadcasts to streamers has impacted sports fans – a potential first step before a more serious probe.Republican Sen.Mike Lee of Utah, who chairs the Senate’s antitrust subcommittee, filed a letter with the DOJ and FTC last month requesting a review of the NFL’s protections.A growing number of NFL games require a streaming subscription, though they aren’t available on a pay-per-view basis.Over seven in 10 sports fans think major sporting events should be required to stay on free broadcast television, according to a recent Fox News survey.In the meantime, streamers have continued to hike their prices, with Netflix last month raising all of its monthly subscription tiers by at least $1.“For so long, Americans were used to just sitting down and grabbing the remote and just very quickly and easily finding the game,” Carr told The Post in March.“Over the last couple of years, that experience has become much more frustrating and people have t...