Networks Want Help

After agreeing to pay a staggering price to broadcast NFL football, three television networks are now looking to spread their financial pain.

ABC, CBS and Fox are all asking their local affiliates to cough up cash to help pay for football rights. It’s the first time ABC and CBS have done this, and Fox will ask for an increase in the charges it now makes to its stations.

After a frenzied bidding war that ended last month, the cost for the NFL rights doubled. Fox paid $550 million to broadcast NFC games, CBS paid $500 million for AFC games and ABC $550 million to keep the rights to Monday Night Football.

ABC is reportedly seeking as much as $50 million a year from the affiliates, either through cash or by the local stations giving to the network some of the commercial time that it is allowed to sell during prime time programming.