The NFL Sunday Ticket lawsuit means eligible DirecTV subscribers won on liability but still have no payout coming. A federal appeals court kept the jury's antitrust verdict intact while ordering a new trial on damages alone. Sunday Ticket is the package that shows out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL games. The case challenges how the NFL pooled those games into one exclusive DirecTV package during the class period.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Espn — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Read the official notice from Sportsmediawatch — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- Who counts as a class member?
- What have the courts decided?
- How large could damages become?
- What should subscribers do now?
Who counts as a class member?
The certified classes cover more than 2.4 million residential DirecTV subscribers. They also cover more than 48,000 bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments, according to LegalClarity in its case summary.
The purchase window runs from June 17, 2011 through Feb. 7, 2023. Only Sunday Ticket bought from DirecTV during that period is included.
What have the courts decided?
A Los Angeles jury in June 2024 found the NFL violated Sherman Act Sections 1 and 2. It awarded $4.61 billion to residential subscribers and $96.9 million to commercial subscribers, according to ESPN in its Oct. 31 report on the appeal ruling. U.S. District Judge Philip S.
Gutierrez then threw out that award in August 2024. He granted judgment as a matter of law after excluding the plaintiffs' damages-expert testimony, according to Sports Media Watch. On Oct. 30, 2026, a unanimous three-judge 9th Circuit panel reinstated the jury's liability verdict. It upheld the order vacating damages and sent the case back to Los Angeles for a new trial on damages only, according to Reuters via the Los Angeles Post in its ruling summary.
How large could damages become?
The retrial still exposes the NFL to multibillion-dollar liability. Under federal antitrust law, a qualifying award can be tripled, putting the original $4.7 billion figure near $14.1 billion, according to ESPN.
The final amount will depend on new expert proof and a new jury calculation. Liability alone does not set any subscriber's payment.
What should subscribers do now?
There is nothing to file and no payment to claim yet. No subscriber payouts are available because damages must be retried, and the NFL said it was disappointed and is considering further appeal, according to TheWrap in its Oct.
30 litigation update. Supreme Court review would be possible only if the Court accepts the case, according to TheWrap. For now, subscribers can take these practical steps:.
- Keep DirecTV Sunday Ticket bills, account statements, or business receipts from 2011-2023.
- Watch for a court-approved damages-trial notice explaining any future claim process.
- Do not confuse this case with current YouTube or YouTube TV Sunday Ticket subscriptions, which are outside its dates. YouTube lists new users at $240 per season and returning users at $378 through YouTube TV or $480 standalone.