The NFL isn't backing down from a recent dust-up with President Donald Trump. After Trump criticized the league for spreading games across streaming platforms and making them too costly for average fans, the NFL's top media executive delivered a clear rebuttal.
In an interview with Full Measure, Trump claimed that many Americans who "live for Sundays" can't afford to keep up with the league because of rising streaming costs. "You've got people that love football. They're great people. They don't make enough money to go and pay this," Trump said. "It's tough."
The president's comments come as the U.S. Department of Justice investigates the NFL for potential anticompetitive practices related to broadcasting and streaming. Republican Sen. Mike Lee has also raised concerns about games being scattered across multiple platforms.
But Hans Schroeder, the NFL's executive vice president of media distribution, isn't having it. "We love our model," Schroeder said last Friday. "We think we have the most fan-friendly model there is of any sport or entertainment as far as distribution."
Schroeder pointed out that despite deals with Amazon and Netflix, a whopping 87% of NFL games still air on traditional broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. "We think broadcast [networks] have been an incredible home," he said. "And, now, we also know fans are increasingly spending their time on other platforms as well."
The league's streaming strategy, Schroeder argued, is about meeting fans where they already are. "When we're going onto Netflix, we're going onto a platform that is already massively adopted and a huge number of viewers on that platform already, including a huge number of NFL fans," he explained.
This isn't the first time Trump has taken aim at the NFL over its distribution model. He's previously pushed the league to scrap its new kickoff rule and curb streaming, warning that streaming could "kill the golden goose." The league's latest response, however, shows it's standing firm.
With the DOJ investigation ongoing and Trump's criticism continuing, the feud between the White House and the NFL is far from over. Whether the president will fire back at Schroeder's comments remains to be seen—but don't expect the league to change course anytime soon.
