Warner Bros. TelevisionIn many a house up and down the UK, the show Friends is a reliable and beloved classic to put on when there’s nothing to watch on the telly.
In fact, if I’m being honest, despite ending in 2004, it’s a reliable show to stick on even when there is something new to watch, it’s just that funny and the characters that lovable.
So, as it’s Christmas, the Friends-fanatics amongst you may be wondering what you can do for the cast who’ve brightened up so many dour living rooms across the nation.
Well, the answer is to just keep watching because the Friends cast are all earning an eye-watering amount every year thanks to reruns, which will keep them all in overpriced New York coffee for years to come.
According to Business Insider, the main cast all earn $20 million a year thanks to their syndication deal which guarantees each of them two per cent of all the money Warner Bros. earns thanks to reruns.
Not bad considering the show’s not been on the air for 18 years. The cast are also on course for a massive payday, potentially upping their earnings next year to $40 million, once Netflix’s cheque clears.
Warners The streaming service recently renewed their license to show Friends in 2019, for a reported $100 million (£78 million), after outraged fans nearly rioted following rumours the show was leaving Netflix.
According to The New York Times, $100 million was the amount, Warners demanded from Netflix to keep the show although neither company has officially confirmed this.
Unfortunately, Friends’ days on Netflix are numbered. It’s just a matter of time until Warners start their own streaming service for their own shows and they’re going to want something as popular as Friends on their platform.
Who knows how that’ll affect the casts earnings, although to be completely honest though the gang probably don’t need the money. By the later seasons, they were all getting paid $1 million per episode, with 24 episodes a season.
No wonder they can’t be arsed with a reunion.
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More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.