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A judge in California overturned a $4.7 billion verdict against the NFL in a lawsuit alleging that the NFL overcharged customers for “NFL Sunday Ticket.” In his ruling, the judge dismissed the testimony of two witnesses and stated that the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the $4.7 billion in damages.
”Plaintiffs failed to provide evidence from which a reasonable jury could make a finding of injury and an award of actual damages,” Judge Philip Gutierrez wrote, according to Reuters.
What Happened: In the case, plaintiffs argued that the NFL had unfairly restricted Sunday Ticket, which was only available through DirecTV, in order to keep the price high. The jury agreed, ordering the NFL to pay $4.7 billion in damages.
DirectTV, owned and operated by AT&T Inc (NYSE:T), was not on trial in the case.
This year, Sunday Ticket is available on Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) YouTube TV and will cost customers around $450. The streaming package is the only way for fans to watch out-of-market games and includes the popular channel Redzone.
See Also: Sony Inks Multiyear Deal As NFL’s Official Tech And Headphones Partner
The NFL argued that if it was found liable, it could reshape the media landscape and "upend the entire structure by which content is created, distributed, and priced." The judge agreed with the league, throwing out the case altogether, and said that the $4.7 billion verdict against the NFL came from a “runaway” jury, Reuters reported.
The NFL season kicks off in the first week of September, with the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Sept. 5.
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