The Supreme Court "turned away an appeal" by the NFL and AT&T's DirecTV subsidiary that "sought dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit challenging their exclusive Sunday Ticket package," according to Brent Kendall of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The court today declined to "review an appeals court decision from last year that allowed commercial and residential subscribers of Sunday Ticket to proceed with their case." The league and the pay-TV service "were seeking to have the case thrown out before a trial." The NFL said that the league and its teams "must coordinate to distribute game telecasts, and it argues the DirecTV partnership has been good for consumers and has increased viewership" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/2). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Eriq Gardner notes the lawsuit "comes from bars, restaurants and other retail establishments who say they are paying supracompetitive prices for DirecTV's 'Sunday Ticket.'" But for "alleged collusion and other restrictions, these plaintiffs believe that the NFL's 32 teams might compete with each other by streaming games." The NFL "will try to offer its pro competitive justifications later in this case -- perhaps at trial." But it "won't be going to the high court." Justice Brett Kavanaugh "offered a dissent on the denial." Meanwhile, today's announcement also is "notable as it represents Justice Amy Coney Barrett's first day on the bench" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 11/2).
