Story perspectives

Packers Fight Act Change, Defend $432 M Revenue Share

6/18/2026

Summary

Packers Oppose Act

June 17, 2026, Green Bay Packers opposed changes to the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act and called Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s remarks “laughable”.
They warned the amendment would eliminate the $432.6 million FY 2025 revenue-share, saying the sharing model lets smallest-market team survive.
They cautioned individual TV deals would pit Green Bay against markets like New York and Los Angeles.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s subcommittee is reviewing the act after a 27-page report alleging NFL price inflation.

Summary

Fitzgerald Probes NFL

The House Judiciary subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), held a hearing on June 17, 2026 to examine whether the NFL’s broadcasting arrangements breach the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act.
Members said streaming platforms have reshaped professional-sports rights sales, prompting lawmakers to seek revising the act for digital distribution.
Fitzgerald warned that without updates the league could violate the act by using exclusive streaming deals that bypass traditional broadcast revenue sharing.

History

Historical Context

Antitrust rulings against the NFL in the 1950s and the AFL’s 1960 cooperative TV deal prompted Congress to pass the Sports Broadcasting Act on September 30 1961, signed by President John F. Kennedy, authorizing league-wide broadcast contracts. The act underpinned the NFL’s $1.58 billion 1994 deal that yields a $432.6 million annual revenue pool, now threatened by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s 2026 subcommittee proposal.

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Packers Oppose Act

June 17, 2026, Green Bay Packers opposed changes to the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act and called Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s remarks “laughable”.
They warned the amendment would eliminate the $432.6 million FY 2025 revenue-share, saying the sharing model lets smallest-market team survive.
They cautioned individual TV deals would pit Green Bay against markets like New York and Los Angeles.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald’s subcommittee is reviewing the act after a 27-page report alleging NFL price inflation.

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