Restaurant Associations Urge Lawmakers to Block NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming Shift for Bars

Small business owners raised alarms over changes to NFL Sunday Ticket that will require bars and restaurants to switch from satellite to streaming, creating technical and financial hurdles.

The Iowa Restaurant Association and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, which represent thousands of independent restaurant and bar owners, sent letters to top Republican lawmakers in their states. The groups described a significant shift in the commercial distribution of NFL Sunday Ticket that threatens to impose immediate and substantial burdens on small businesses.

Streaming service EverPass Media announced it will become the exclusive commercial provider for NFL Sunday Ticket starting with the 2026 season. The Iowa letter went to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. The Wisconsin letter targeted Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust.

"NFL Sunday Ticket, the out-of-market package that allows fans to watch games unavailable on local broadcast, has long been a cornerstone of the Sunday business model for bars and restaurants," Iowa Restaurant Association CEO Jessica Dunker and Wisconsin Restaurant Association CEO Kristine Hillmer wrote in the letters obtained by Fox News Digital. "For many establishments, Sunday afternoons during football season represent their highest-traffic and highest-revenue period of the week. Customers gather specifically to watch their teams, generating critical revenue that supports jobs, employee income, and already narrow operating margins."

The executives noted that NFL Sunday Ticket had been delivered to commercial establishments via satellite for nearly three decades, a system suited for multi-screen environments. EverPass Media, a joint venture between the NFL and RedBird Capital, now holds exclusive commercial distribution rights and requires businesses to adopt its proprietary streaming-only platform.

"This transition is being imposed without adequate consideration of the operational realities facing small businesses," Dunker and Hillmer wrote. They said the problems go beyond the shift to streaming, which contributes to fragmentation across consumer viewing platforms. Current streaming technology has not demonstrated reliable performance in commercial settings such as bars and restaurants.

A neighborhood sports bar may operate 20 or more screens simultaneously, something satellite systems handle with consistency. Streaming introduces risks of buffering, synchronization failures across screens, and significant bandwidth demands. Many smaller establishments lack the infrastructure to support this model without costly upgrades.

"These technical concerns are compounded by financial strain," they continued. "Restaurants and bars that have already invested heavily in satellite equipment are now being required to incur additional expenses for new hardware and expanded broadband capacity to support Everpass."

The associations pointed out that EverPass does not provide access to local broadcast networks, regional sports networks, or other out-of-market packages for leagues such as MLB, NBA and NHL. Bars and dining establishments will need to maintain multiple distribution systems.

"It isn’t at all clear that this is legal. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 was created to extend a limited antitrust exemption so that leagues could negotiate carriage with broadcasters," they wrote. The groups urged Grassley, Fitzgerald and their colleagues to consider transition protections, accountability standards and congressional oversight of the NFL and its affiliated distribution entities to ensure compliance with antitrust law and fair treatment of small businesses.

"Sunday football is not merely entertainment — it is an essential economic driver for restaurants and bars. We urge you to stand with small business owners who are being placed at a disadvantage by this abrupt and costly transition," the restaurant associations wrote.

The NFL declined comment. EverPass did not immediately respond.

EverPass has described the move as NFL Sunday Ticket entering a modern era. Its website touts a platform built for commercial environments, with business-grade streaming reliability for high-traffic venues, centralized control across every screen with EverPass Core, plug-and-play hardware, dedicated support and flexible packages.

"We understand that transitioning to a streaming-based solution for NFL Sunday Ticket may require planning, from connectivity and hardware to overall venue readiness," the website states. "That’s why our team is committed to helping customers make the transition with confidence and be fully prepared before kickoff. Our goal is simple: make sure your venue is ready well before the first Sunday of the season, so you can focus on what matters most: delivering a great experience for every guest who walks through the door."

Offices for Sen. Grassley and Rep. Fitzgerald did not immediately respond to a request for comment.