SAN FRANCISCO, July 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hausfeld and Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP filed a complaint against DirecTV and the National Football League yesterday alleging that their exclusive agreement with respect to the NFL Sunday Ticket is anticompetitive and harms commercial entities, such as bars and restaurants, that rely on the Sunday Ticket to attract patrons on Sunday afternoons during the fall football season.
Michael Hausfeld noted that "the firm's clients have asked us to look into the exclusive distribution arrangement between DirecTV and the NFL because the price of Sunday Ticket has increased dramatically over the last few years. In 2015, the largest commercial establishments will pay in excess of $120,000.00 for the season, and the proposed merger between AT&T and DirecTV will only exacerbate the problem."
Co-counsel Lee Albert explained that "the NFL is the only major professional sport with an exclusive out-of-market package, the NFL Sunday Ticket. The corresponding out-of-market sports packages offered by the NBA, the NHL, and MLB are all distributed by DirecTV and other satellite and cable operators. As a result, consumers are able to buy these packages at a lower price, and they receive many more games over a longer season."
The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for the overcharges stemming from this anticompetitive agreement and an injunction against the enforcement of the exclusivity provision of the NFL's agreement with DirecTV.
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