Did the NFL conspire to put the squeeze on its biggest fans, driving up the price of DirecTV’s “Sunday Ticket” package so subscribers would be forced to pay top dollar to watch the full array of Sunday games? That’s what the plaintiffs contend in a class-action lawsuit that got underway Thursday in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles, the culmination of a nine-year legal odyssey.
They are not special broadcasts but identical to what people are seeing in those various home markets. By the league’s estimate, a mere 3% of fans subscribe to “Sunday Ticket,” which this season costs $349 absent any discounts or promotions. “It’s a valuable, premium product, and the prices were reasonable,” Beth Wilkinson, representing the NFL, said in her opening statement. “Fans don’t have to buy Sunday Ticket. … The league wants as many people as possible to watch the free broadcasts.