ESPN Pays Four Times the Going Rate to Air NFL Games

According to published reports, ESPN pays roughly double what the three broadcast networks do for the rights to air National Football League games, $1.9 billion per year.

ESPN aired the fewest games, with only 17. But unlike the other networks, which have to share the fans’ attention on Sundays, ESPN owns Monday -- a weeknight in prime time.

Not surprisingly, Monday Night Football is the highest-rated show on cable television and the highest-rated show for young men. ESPN has been able to pass along its additional costs to the cable operators -- which, in turn, pass them to the customer to the tune of $6/month/subscriber.