Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell addresses NFL streaming service affordability controversy

Minnesota Vikings caput manager Kevin O'Connell addressed concerns implicit the affordability of watching NFL games arsenic the league auctions disconnected broadcasts to much and much streaming services. The contented has prompted the attraction of Congress and the FCC.

"I deliberation it's important that we proceed to marque it thing that, you know, each fans tin person a pathway to watching our games," O'Connell told Fox News Digital astatine a Thursday quality league for the American Century Championship play tournament.

"Hopefully a batch of them marque it retired to whether to US Bank Stadium oregon SoFi Stadium oregon immoderate of the, you know, large venues we person successful our league. And there's thing similar being there, but I tin archer you that it's precise important for the NFL to person our games beryllium disposable to arsenic galore of our fans arsenic we perchance can."

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The Amazon Prime Video Thursday Night Football logo appears connected a tv camera during the 2nd fractional of the crippled betwixt the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders astatine GEHA Field astatine Arrowhead Stadium successful Kansas City, Mo., connected Nov. 29, 2024. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Still, O'Connell defended the league's media rights contracts, and believes utilizing antithetic streaming services tin besides assistance turn the instrumentality base.

"I deliberation it's an alignment with wherever a batch of, you know, not conscionable sports media, but media successful general, has benignant of gone, wherever the user is choosing antithetic ways to find their amusement and I deliberation a batch of the antithetic aspects of wherever games are available," helium said.

"I cognize our crippled is very, precise fashionable and I cognize it's a precise important happening for the league to proceed to marque our crippled disposable to each imaginable instrumentality retired there, we're ever trying to find antithetic pathways. To caller fans... not lone successful the United States, but it's wide globally arsenic well."

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Minnesota Vikings caput manager Kevin O'Connell reacts during the 2nd fractional astatine Soldier Field connected Sept. 8, 2025. (Matt Marton/Imagn Images)

The contented has go a larger portion of the NFL media conversation. The league’s 2026 docket includes games crossed accepted broadcast networks, cablegram and aggregate streaming platforms. According to the NFL, Prime Video volition transportation "Thursday Night Football," Netflix volition watercourse games successful Week 1, connected Thanksgiving Eve and connected Christmas Day, and Peacock volition exclusively watercourse a regular-season crippled successful January.

The NFL has noted that its games stay disposable escaped implicit the aerial successful section markets. In its 2026 docket announcement, the league said it is the lone sports league that presents each regular-season and postseason games connected escaped over-the-air tv successful section markets.

But the broader entree question has inactive drawn scrutiny successful Washington. In June, the House Judiciary Committee released an interim unit study connected the Sports Broadcasting Act and the NFL’s media model, saying fans progressively request a operation of over-the-air, cablegram and streaming services to ticker their favourite teams. The committee besides said immoderate fans indispensable wage much than $600 per play to ticker each of 1 team’s games.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, besides asked the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to analyse whether the NFL’s existent organisation practices inactive acceptable wrong the Sports Broadcasting Act’s constricted antitrust protection. In that request, Lee said fans spent astir $1,000 past play erstwhile cable, streaming and net costs were combined.

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O'Connell's comments came arsenic helium is acceptable to vie successful the American Century Championship for the archetypal time, astatine Edgewood Tahoe this weekend.

The lawsuit is acceptable to diagnostic a star-studded lineup of competitors, including Davante Adams, Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence and Kyle Juszczyk, portion Hall of Famers Drew Brees, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Marcus Allen, Charles Woodson, Brian Urlacher, Tim Brown, Dwight Freeney and DeMarcus Ware are besides expected to play.