The Department of Justice's high-profile antitrust investigation into professional sports broadcasting is expanding its scope. While the NFL's media rights have been the primary focus, new reports confirm Major League Baseball is also under scrutiny for potentially exceeding the limits of a decades-old antitrust exemption.

This legal landscape stems from the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which allowed leagues to collectively sell broadcast rights as a single entity, a practice that would otherwise violate antitrust laws. The critical legal question today is whether this exemption applies only to traditional, FCC-regulated broadcast networks or if it extends to the modern media landscape of cable, satellite, and streaming platforms.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr emphasized the broader nature of the probe, stating, "The NFL is something that everyone is aware of and focuses on... but we are focused more broadly on other leagues as well." He suggested that some leagues might be "pushing the limits" of the Act even further than the NFL.

MLB's current media portfolio illustrates this modern complexity, with games spread across NBC, ESPN, Fox, TBS, Apple TV+, MLB Network, Peacock, and Netflix. The inclusion of MLB and potentially other leagues indicates this is more than a targeted action against the NFL's specific renegotiations; it's a fundamental review of how antitrust law applies to sports media in the streaming era.