Sen. Baldwin Introduces For the Fans Act to End Sports Blackouts and Guarantee Free Local Games
The For the Fans Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It has been sent to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for review. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.
This bill faces heavy opposition from major sports leagues and media companies that rely on exclusive TV deals. It currently lacks the broad support needed to pass through a divided Congress.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Regional sports networks (RSNs) and local broadcasters that rely on exclusive local rights deals could lose a major revenue stream, since leagues must now provide free local access. Some smaller streaming companies or local stations could benefit from new partnerships to deliver the free content, but the overall disruption to the existing sports broadcasting business model would create winners and losers among media businesses.
“A league shall provide to each local fan access to view live all games of the league team at no cost to the local fan and at a quality of service not less than that which is the best available, through a singular method of viewing for all games”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senator Tammy Baldwin introduced the 'For the Fans' Act to address the 'costly subscription nightmare' of sports streaming. The bill would ban blackouts on league-owned apps like MLB.TV and require leagues to provide a free local viewing option for all in-state professional games.
The proposed legislation aims to simplify the 'complicated web' of streaming services. It would impact major leagues including the NFL, MLB, and NBA, requiring them to ensure that fans can watch their home teams for free via broadcast or a single ad-supported streaming service.
The 'For the Fans' Act is designed to decrease consumer TV costs by ending blackouts for fans with out-of-market subscriptions. It would also mandate that all nationally televised games involving pro teams from a state be made available for free statewide on a consistent channel.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
For the Fans Act
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.