In August, the House Judiciary Committee launched a review of antitrust exemptions in professional sports, looking in particular at joint agreements among teams to sell television broadcasting rights. In a new insight, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Jeffrey Westling explains why Congress should update antitrust rules to create parity among technologies that show games.

Key points:

The House Judiciary Committee’s decision to launch a review of the SBA and sports broadcasting deals is timely and could provide valuable insights into live sports and digital markets. As new services compete with legacy media, it is important to ensure antitrust law promotes competition and benefits consumers. Antitrust exemptions come with risk, however, and it may be time for Congress to eliminate the statutory exemptions and allow courts to examine individual conduct on the merits. Regardless of what Congress decides to do, it should ensure parity among leagues and technologies to unify regulations and promote competition.

Read the analysis.