Janet's boob costs $500,000

Janet Jackson's infamous flashing of her right breast during the Super Bowl could cost the CBS television network $550,000 (£305,000) in fines.

Jackson's leather bustier was ripped during a duet with Justin Timberlake, watched by a crowd of 72,000 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston and an estimated 100 million viewers worldwide.

A staff recommendation to the Federal Communications Commission suggested each of the 20 CBS-owned stations be fined the maximum indecency penalty of $27,500 for the incident, reports said.

The commissioners now must decide whether to accept the recommendation. A decision is expected in the next few weeks.

FCC spokesman David Fiske declined to comment.

Produced by MTV, the February 1 Super Bowl half-time show featured Jackson and singer Justin Timberlake performing a flirtatious duet. At the end, Timberlake ripped off a piece of Jackson's black leather top, exposing her right breast to a TV audience of some 100 million.

It appeared that Timberlake ripped Jackson's outfit as he reached out to her, revealing her breast with what appeared to be a sun-shaped silver nipple ring.

The commission was flooded with more than 500,000 complaints.