It’s been fourteen years since the uber-famous, and highly adored sitcom, Friends bid its final goodbyes
Yet, it seems like it was only yesterday when the six cast members, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, and Courtney Cox entertained our homes with some of the wittiest and sometimes downright dark humor that served to crack our ribs, albeit delivering an underlying theme.
That being said, one would expect that since the show ended nearly a decade and a half ago, the cast members wouldn’t be making any money from the show, right?
Think again…
Turns out that the stars are paid roughly 2 percent of the show’s income in terms of syndication.
Friends was the most followed sitcom in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s
Still Loved By The Fans
In fact, since the show brings in roughly $1 billion every year for Warner Bros network, each cast member rakes in an impressive $20 million every year for a show that concluded 14 years ago.
Friends had an impressive run of 10 seasons since its pilot episode in 1994 and its season finale in 2004.
That being said, millions of its fans still continue to view it, on Netflix, as well as via syndication.
The cast members rake in a whopping $20 million each every year from the show
Netflix Syndication
As a matter of fact, Netflix acquired the Tv show back in January 1st of 2015.
However, Netflix announced in the beginning of November that it had placed an expiry date of January 1st, 2019 on the streaming service’s Friends page.
This sent fans of the show in a frenzy!
Seeing the response, the streaming service announced on December 3rd that it had opted to make the site available for viewing in the United States until the end of 2019.
Nevertheless, the availability of the show would come with a hefty price tag!
Indeed, it was reported that the company had made a payment of around $100 million to maintain the license of the program with WarnerMedia, who are the owners.
Initially, Netflix was paying $30 million on a yearly basis to maintain streaming of the show.
According to information by Times, the deal by Netflix to keep friends as part of its streaming content was primarily due to the fact that the show was to expire by the end of 2018.
However, both Netflix and WarnerMedia’s parent company, AT&T, were in full negotiations regarding the extension the past couple of months.
Meanwhile, AT&T is making plans to launch its own streaming service by the end of 2019, and it is highly likely that Friends will be part of the company’s streaming shows by 2020.
Nevertheless, it is reported that Netflix and AT&T have entered further negotiations regarding the rages after 2019 that are aimed to be much lower than the $100 million, primarily because the show would no longer be exclusively available for streaming on Netflix.
On the other hand, there is a possibility that Friends might be exiting Netflix after next year, as AT&T will have to keep a section of its content unavailable for streaming from other sites to increase its ability to attract new customers.
In fact, the sitcom has such a large following that Netflix has seen it fit to renew their contract with AT&T for a whole year
NetWorth of Friends Cast
Indeed, Friends turned out to be a lucrative lifelong venture for the cast members. As a matter of fact, here are the actors’ networth today!
Matt LeBlanc– As a result of the show, Matt LeBlanc managed to secure a net worth of $60 million while being paid his $1 million-per-episode salary (together with other cast members) during the final season, as well as starring in his own spinoff Joey and starring in other monumental series.
Lisa Kudrow– Aah, who could forget Phoebe’s shenanigans in the show? Looks like they paid off as Phoebe, or shall we say, Lisa Kudrow, now has a net worth of $70 million thanks to Friends as well as starring in other TV series.
Matthew Perry– Though he has had his fair share of Hollywood appearances in a number of movies, Matthew will forever be remembered for his role as Chandler Bing that made a massive contribution to his $80 million net worth.
David Schwimmer– Of course, we remember him as Ross Geller in Friends. However, this hasn’t stopped him for diversifying his career as he recently played Robert Kardashian in the critically acclaimed series The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
Courtney Cox-Would you believe that Courtney Cox has a net worth of $120 million? Apart from Friends, Courtney has been the star and executive producer of the famous series Cougar Town for six seasons straight.
Jennifer Anniston– Indeed, she tops the list with a net worth of $170 million. We can see why, considering the numerous roles that she’s played in Hollywood, and the fact that she’s a Golden Globe award-winner as well!
