Rising sports streaming costs get pushback as Netflix, Amazon and YouTube join forces

Netflix, Amazon and YouTube have teamed up in Washington with a new banner — the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance — a D.C.-based lobbying group led by TechNet and formed on Monday, according to Axios. The coalition’s pitch to lawmakers: don’t write rules that single out streaming as sports move online.

The timing isn’t accidental. The FCC and the Justice Department are weighing whether to revisit the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the law that gives pro leagues an antitrust exemption to pool and sell their TV rights together. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has publicly questioned whether today’s setup is nudging more games behind streaming-only paywalls.

Where the games are now

The three companies are already deep in live sports — and their deals explain why they want a seat at the table in D.C.:

• Amazon — exclusive home of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video
• YouTube — carries the NFL Sunday Ticket package
• Netflix — has added NFL games to its expanding live lineup

As leagues like the NFL and NBA expand digital distribution, streaming platforms have become major partners — and prime targets in the policy fight over where fans can watch and how much they pay.

TechNet says SACA will push for “technology-neutral policies that encourage innovation in entertainment, ” including those that let members keep funding live events and other content.

SACA is separate from the Streaming Innovation Alliance, the broader coalition launched in 2023 by Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast’s Peacock and others. That group has focused on efforts by local broadcasters and some lawmakers to apply traditional TV rules to streaming across the board. SACA is narrower, built around the live-sports moment now drawing scrutiny in Congress and at federal agencies.

Axios first reported the formation of SACA on Monday. The FCC and Justice Department are currently considering whether to reexamine the 1961 law.