As the U.S. Department of Justice investigates whether the NFL uses anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers, President Donald Trump said he is not happy with how much it is costing fans to watch the league as the sports media landscape shifts toward streaming.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough,\u201d Trump said during an interview on Full Measure<\/a> that aired Sunday. \u201cYou got people that love football. They\u2019re great people. They don\u2019t make enough money to go and pay this. It\u2019s tough. And they could be killing the golden goose.\u201d<\/p>\n The DOJ opened an investigation<\/a> into the NFL last month, but Trump won\u2019t guarantee that the government will take any definitive action against the league.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I don\u2019t like it,\u201d Trump said of any next steps. \u201cThey\u2019re making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less. They could let the people see. You have people that live for Sunday. They can\u2019t think about anything else, and then all of a sudden, they\u2019re gonna have to pay $1,000 a game? It\u2019s crazy, so I\u2019m not happy about it.\u201d<\/p>\n While no NFL games cost $1,000 to watch, if a fan wanted to legally stream every game of the 2025 NFL season, they would have had to pay more than $1,000<\/a>\u2014a figure that was widely circulated online and on social media last fall. Streaming is not required for the majority of games, though, which are mostly available on over-the-air TV networks, including ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.<\/p>\n Amazon Prime Video exclusively streamed the Thursday Night Football package for a fourth season, while Netflix, Peacock, and YouTube also had some exclusive streaming broadcasts (all games in a team\u2019s home market are required to be also shown over the air if a streamer or cable channel is showing it nationally). YouTube TV had NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market rights for a third season.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something very sad when they take football away from many, many people,\u201d Trump said. \u201cVery sad. I don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL\u2019s 2026 schedule will be released on Thursday, when streamers are expected to land<\/a> the rights to a number of key game broadcasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018Unwatchable\u2019 Kickoff\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump also reiterated his disdain for the NFL\u2019s dynamic kickoff rule<\/a>, which was first implemented during the 2024 season and tweaked last year<\/a> to encourage more returns.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey have that stupid kickoff thing that you can\u2019t watch,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIt\u2019s unwatchable. I hate the games where they have the new phony kickoff. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s any safer. I hope college football doesn\u2019t do that. \u2026 They ruin the game.\u201d<\/p>\n