WASHINGTON, D.C. — NFL executives met last week in Washington with advisers to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to defend the league's media rights distribution and its shift of games to streaming services, according to an FCC filing. The meeting included Hans Schroeder, the NFL's top media executive, and two advisers to Carr.

The FCC has launched a probe into whether the shift of more NFL games to streaming services was harming American consumers and the broadcast television industry. The Justice Department has opened a separate investigation into whether the league is forcing viewers to pay too much money for subscription packages.

Traditionally, NFL fans could see all games on broadcast television networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox for free. In recent years, the NFL has inked distribution deals with premium streaming services such as Amazon Video and YouTube TV.

According to the filing, the NFL's 17-page slide presentation stated that its distribution strategy is "good for fans," "good for local broadcasters," "good for the game" and "good for teams in all markets." The league noted that 87% of its games are still carried on broadcast networks and added that "no other sports league" was "distributing games this way." The regular season viewership of games on CBS and NBC reached an all-time high last year. The graphic accompanying the final slide shows the logos for dozens of entertainment brands and streaming apps.

"The success of our fan- and broadcast-friendly strategy is evident as the 2025 season was the most viewed since 1989 and one of the most competitive in League history," Brendon Plack, head of public policy and government affairs, said in a letter. The NFL also defended an antitrust exemption allowing it to negotiate media rights for all affiliated teams. The carve-out was codified in the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act, which was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy. The league argued that allowing each of its 32 teams to individually negotiate media rights would result in "higher costs and confusion" and a "fractured media landscape."

The FCC was seeking public responses about how viewing habits have changed across the modern media landscape, which depends increasingly on streaming services. "The packaging of individual teams' television rights was thought to be necessary to enhance the financial stability of the leagues by assuring equal distribution of revenues among all teams," the FCC said in a letter dated Feb. 25.