WASHINGTON, D.C. (WEAU) – U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is rolling out new legislation she says would curb sports blackouts and require professional leagues to ensure local fans can watch games for free, as more high-profile matchups move from traditional broadcast TV to streaming services.
In a USA Today opinion piece, Baldwin argued that “watching your favorite team has become confusing and a hassle in recent years,” describing a landscape of “streaming subscriptions, unexpected blackouts” and the need to explain new platforms to older relatives — “and where the hell to find it.”
This past season, the wild-card playoff game in January between the Packers and Bears was exclusive to Amazon Prime Video for a national audience. Two other regular-season games involving Green Bay were also available nationally only to streaming subscribers.
Baldwin’s bill, dubbed the For the Fans Act, targets major professional leagues in baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer — including men’s and women’s leagues — as she warns that exclusive streaming deals and blackout rules are leaving fans paying more and getting less.
“This isn’t unique to Packers fans,” Baldwin wrote, pointing to the broader shift of marquee games onto streaming platforms. She cited recent media-rights moves, including the NFL’s deal that put “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime Video and Christmas games on Netflix, as well as a web of agreements involving the NBA, Peacock and Disney.
Baldwin also framed the issue as a cost burden for families. “Seeing your favorite team play seems to get more expensive every season,” she wrote, claiming that a Wisconsin fan trying to watch the Packers, Brewers and Bucks across a full season could end up paying more than $1,000. She pointed to reporting that estimated watching every New York Yankees game could cost nearly $800 and cited a Federal Communications Commission estimate that NFL games aired on 10 services in 2025 — a mix that could total more than $1,500 to watch them all.
Under Baldwin’s proposal, one provision would target blackout restrictions on out-of-market subscription packages such as NBA League Pass and MLB.TV. Baldwin wrote that the bill would ensure customers who pay for full access “don’t face blackouts,” including games played in their local media market or those carried exclusively on streaming platforms.
A second provision would require leagues to offer local fans a single free way to watch games — either over the air on broadcast TV or through a free streaming option — even as leagues continue selling rights to paid platforms.
“Instead of allowing leagues carte blanche to sell away rights to streamers,” Baldwin wrote, “my bill would require that leagues provide local fans with a single, free option to watch their team’s games either over streaming or broadcast.”
Baldwin said the goal is to eliminate what she called a growing maze for sports viewers. “No more jumping through hoops to find the game,” she wrote. “No more blackouts on streaming services you already pay for. No more BS.”
Copyright 2026 WEAU. All rights reserved.