Key Takeaways:
Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch is personally lobbying former President Donald Trump, arguing for political intervention to halt the National Football League’s lucrative and aggressive expansion into streaming.
Fox Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch is lobbying Donald Trump to protect traditional broadcasters from the National Football League’s aggressive push into streaming, a move that threatens to upend billions of dollars in media rights. The high-stakes appeal occurred during a White House dinner in February, where Murdoch warned that the NFL’s strategy could decimate broadcast television, according to a person familiar with the matter.
"If streamers gained rights to more games, it would kill broadcast networks," Murdoch told Trump, the person said. The conversation highlights a growing rift between the NFL and its long-standing media partners, pitting legacy broadcasters against deep-pocketed technology giants like Amazon.com Inc. and Google's YouTube.
The conflict stems from the NFL's desire to renegotiate existing media deals to capture more revenue from streaming platforms. Fox, the smallest of the league's four main broadcast partners, fears being outbid, potentially losing its entire Sunday football franchise. The NFL has already awarded a profitable "Thursday Night Football" package to Amazon's Prime Video for a reported $1 billion annually and a Sunday Ticket package to YouTube TV for roughly $2 billion per year.
At stake is the future of the most valuable property in American television. A regulatory intervention siding with broadcasters could reshape the media landscape, potentially altering the stock values of companies like Fox, Paramount Global, and Comcast, while creating significant barriers for tech giants expanding their live sports footprint.
The NFL's strategy is a direct response to changing viewer habits, as audiences increasingly migrate from traditional cable to streaming services. The league is leveraging its unmatched popularity to create bidding wars, securing massive rights fees from both legacy and digital players. Commissioner Roger Goodell has defended the strategy, pushing back against claims that putting more games exclusively on streaming platforms is anti-consumer.
The league's latest move includes a 2026 regular-season game in Australia, which will be streamed globally by Netflix Inc., marking the streamer's first major foray into live NFL games. This follows the league's exclusive streaming of a wild-card playoff game on NBCUniversal's Peacock service, which drew a massive streaming audience but also criticism from fans accustomed to free over-the-air access.
Murdoch's direct appeal to Trump represents a "Hail Mary" for broadcasters, an attempt to use political influence to protect their turf. The lobbying effort seeks to frame the issue as one of preserving free access to America's most popular sport for the public, an argument with potential populist appeal. This could invite scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or even the Department of Justice (DOJ) on antitrust grounds.
The potential impact is significant. Should the government take action to favor broadcasters, it could secure their access to lucrative NFL games, bolstering their financial outlook. Conversely, it would represent a major setback for Amazon, Google, and Apple Inc., which have collectively invested billions to make live sports a cornerstone of their subscription services. The outcome of this clash between old and new media will likely determine who broadcasts America's game for decades to come.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
