NBC is going to charge its affiliate stations for programming in the next round of contract renewals, according to a report in TV Week. Network chief Jeff Zucker made the announcement in May that stations would have to start paying instead of being paid for Peacock programs.
The TV Week report indicates that larger stations with higher ratings will get better deals than smaller, weaker ones, which may be forced to cut local news to maintain affiliate status. The network in turn may reduce its prime-time hours, allowing local stations to fill the gaps and claim the resulting ad time.
Fox started charging affiliates 10 years ago. ABC and CBS still pay them, but those networks are expected eventually to follow NBC“s example.
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