NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt has cautioned the National Football League that its shift of marquee games onto Amazon, Netflix and YouTube could weaken the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the antitrust exemption that lets NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell negotiate broadcast rights for all 32 teams as a single package. In an interview with Barrett Media published October 5, LeGeyt described the league's streaming strategy as politically combustible.

"I think the NFL is playing with fire by pushing more and more games off to Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube," LeGeyt said.

Why does the 1961 law matter?

The Sports Broadcasting Act, signed 65 years ago, exempts the NFL from specific antitrust provisions so the league can sell broadcast rights for the entire 32-team season in one package. The arrangement lets the league maximize revenue while guaranteeing over-the-air broadcasters regular access to high-profile games.

LeGeyt argued the streaming migration undercuts that bargain. "We are seeing study after study that shows the mounting consumer frustration with needing to buy a new subscription service just to follow your favorite team," he said.

What regulatory exposure does the NFL face?

LeGeyt framed the dispute as a matter of legislator education rather than immediate repeal. "We need to ensure policymakers are educated about the harm when premier sporting events migrate from broadcast to streaming," he told Barrett Media. He did not name a sponsor, a bill, or a timeline for any congressional action.

The warning carries weight because lawmakers have begun to question the 65-year-old exemption, LeGeyt said. A sustained narrative of consumer harm, the NAB appears to be arguing, would give Congress political cover to revisit whether the antitrust carve-out still serves the public interest.

How do the streaming platforms fit into the picture?

Amazon's Thursday Night Football package, Netflix's Christmas Day slate, and YouTube's carriage of select regular-season games have moved content that was once delivered free over the air behind subscription paywalls. Each deal tightens the dependency of NFL distribution on a handful of large technology platforms — a concentration that broadcast lobby groups have previously raised in other regulatory contexts.

LeGeyt did not discuss carriage terms, subscription pricing, or subscriber thresholds in the published portion of the interview, which was cut off by a paywall at Barrett Media.

What's the road ahead?

The NAB has not announced a formal campaign to amend or repeal the 1961 statute, and the next NFL media-rights negotiation cycle remains the natural pressure point. If the league continues to direct marquee games toward streaming-only platforms, LeGeyt's comments indicate that broadcasters intend to press Congress to weigh whether the antitrust exemption still warrants its current scope.