Euphoria HBO & A24's series | Starring Zendaya| RIP Angus Cloud



Can someone with more knowledge than me explain how small are actors residual streaming checks? Or any additional information about how that even works.

For music I get it, it's pretty straightforward.
 
Can someone with more knowledge than me explain how small are actors residual streaming checks? Or any additional information about how that even works.

For music I get it, it's pretty straightforward.
Well a show like euphoria isn't exactly getting syndication anywhere other than maybe Netflix (which is assumingly less than it would've made via traditional TV, streaming in general seems to pay less).

I feel like that type of show is meant to establish your star power so that you can make more on future opportunities.


Older TV shows like Fresh Prince and Martin made their money off of syndication. I have probably watched every episode of Fresh Prince 5-10 times (before streaming ever existed). That was probably big bank for those actors since it wasn't exactly one and done.

I'm assuming that although Euphoria gets a lot of praise the actors weren't paid very much initially (other than Zendaya), and the expectation is that if the show continues their pay would grow with time. I believe most actors get a good check either right before or right after production then small residuals as the show continues to air or stream.

There's only been 2 seasons of Euphoria with big gaps in between. She is probably feeling that stretch more than others (once again assumption).
 
In streaming, there are two common types of residuals.

A fixed residual is paid to writers and actors involved in shows created for new media, which is determined based on a formula agreed upon in each union’s minimum basic agreement. Residuals for shows created for streaming are calculated using a formula that factors in the length of the program, the size of the service when the program was written, and the exhibition year.

The WGA formula can be viewed here. The SAG-AFTRA formula is broken down here.

There is also a revenue-based residual, which applies when a film or series is licensed to a streaming platform, and it is a percentage of the fee paid to the studio by the distributor.

Suits, produced by Universal Studio Group’s UCP, would fall under the latter category, because it originated on cabler USA Network and was licensed to a streaming service. In this case, NBCUniversal has licensed Suits both to its own service, Peacock, and to Netflix. In most cases, both Peacock and Netflix are paying a fee, and the residuals owed are 1.2% of the license fee to writers and 3.6% to principal performers.

“So you take that total number that Netflix paid UCP, and you divide it by [the number of episodes] … multiply it by 1.2%, and that’s what a writer gets paid,” a top agency partner told Deadline.

Since Netflix only licensed the first eight seasons, that equates to 124 episodes. Although the license fee for Suits has not been officially disclosed, sources told Deadline that it is in the range of $200,000-$400,000 per episode, which would put the deal between $25M and $50M.

Let’s cut the difference and assume Netflix paid $37.5M to license the show. This would mean a writer would make 1.2% of the fee paid for each episode they wrote, paid out over the term. That’s $3,629.

A similar equation applies for actors. Each principal performer would receive a pro rata share of 3.6% of the fee paid for each episode. So, again, for a $37.5M licensing fee for Suits, that would be $10,887 per episode equally split among all principal performers over the length of the deal.

These same equations apply for Peacock, which is technically licensing Suits from Universal Content Productions. But, since they are both within NBCUniversal, it may have been licensed for a lower fee, given that the deal extends over a longer period.
 
Can someone with more knowledge than me explain how small are actors residual streaming checks? Or any additional information about how that even works.

For music I get it, it's pretty straightforward.
I just assume it’s pay as low as waiters at restaurants get (hence the begging for tips).
 
I'm sure the writer's strike also impacted her getting work in some fashion
 
In streaming, there are two common types of residuals.

A fixed residual is paid to writers and actors involved in shows created for new media, which is determined based on a formula agreed upon in each union’s minimum basic agreement. Residuals for shows created for streaming are calculated using a formula that factors in the length of the program, the size of the service when the program was written, and the exhibition year.

The WGA formula can be viewed here. The SAG-AFTRA formula is broken down here.

There is also a revenue-based residual, which applies when a film or series is licensed to a streaming platform, and it is a percentage of the fee paid to the studio by the distributor.

Suits, produced by Universal Studio Group’s UCP, would fall under the latter category, because it originated on cabler USA Network and was licensed to a streaming service. In this case, NBCUniversal has licensed Suits both to its own service, Peacock, and to Netflix. In most cases, both Peacock and Netflix are paying a fee, and the residuals owed are 1.2% of the license fee to writers and 3.6% to principal performers.

“So you take that total number that Netflix paid UCP, and you divide it by [the number of episodes] … multiply it by 1.2%, and that’s what a writer gets paid,” a top agency partner told Deadline.

Since Netflix only licensed the first eight seasons, that equates to 124 episodes. Although the license fee for Suits has not been officially disclosed, sources told Deadline that it is in the range of $200,000-$400,000 per episode, which would put the deal between $25M and $50M.

Let’s cut the difference and assume Netflix paid $37.5M to license the show. This would mean a writer would make 1.2% of the fee paid for each episode they wrote, paid out over the term. That’s $3,629.

A similar equation applies for actors. Each principal performer would receive a pro rata share of 3.6% of the fee paid for each episode. So, again, for a $37.5M licensing fee for Suits, that would be $10,887 per episode equally split among all principal performers over the length of the deal.

These same equations apply for Peacock, which is technically licensing Suits from Universal Content Productions. But, since they are both within NBCUniversal, it may have been licensed for a lower fee, given that the deal extends over a longer period.
Euphoria doesn't have nearly the same number of episodes as a show like suits so I don't see any of these actors collecting huge residual bags. It's also still limited to just HBO/ Max.
 
In streaming, there are two common types of residuals.

A fixed residual is paid to writers and actors involved in shows created for new media, which is determined based on a formula agreed upon in each union’s minimum basic agreement. Residuals for shows created for streaming are calculated using a formula that factors in the length of the program, the size of the service when the program was written, and the exhibition year.

The WGA formula can be viewed here. The SAG-AFTRA formula is broken down here.

There is also a revenue-based residual, which applies when a film or series is licensed to a streaming platform, and it is a percentage of the fee paid to the studio by the distributor.

Suits, produced by Universal Studio Group’s UCP, would fall under the latter category, because it originated on cabler USA Network and was licensed to a streaming service. In this case, NBCUniversal has licensed Suits both to its own service, Peacock, and to Netflix. In most cases, both Peacock and Netflix are paying a fee, and the residuals owed are 1.2% of the license fee to writers and 3.6% to principal performers.

“So you take that total number that Netflix paid UCP, and you divide it by [the number of episodes] … multiply it by 1.2%, and that’s what a writer gets paid,” a top agency partner told Deadline.

Since Netflix only licensed the first eight seasons, that equates to 124 episodes. Although the license fee for Suits has not been officially disclosed, sources told Deadline that it is in the range of $200,000-$400,000 per episode, which would put the deal between $25M and $50M.

Let’s cut the difference and assume Netflix paid $37.5M to license the show. This would mean a writer would make 1.2% of the fee paid for each episode they wrote, paid out over the term. That’s $3,629.

A similar equation applies for actors. Each principal performer would receive a pro rata share of 3.6% of the fee paid for each episode. So, again, for a $37.5M licensing fee for Suits, that would be $10,887 per episode equally split among all principal performers over the length of the deal.

These same equations apply for Peacock, which is technically licensing Suits from Universal Content Productions. But, since they are both within NBCUniversal, it may have been licensed for a lower fee, given that the deal extends over a longer period.
This was a really interesting read, assuming it’s accurate of course but I see no reason to doubt that. I felt that me just giving your very elaborate post a like couldn’t fully show my appreciation for the amount of detailed information I gained from this and the level of effort you put in, hence this reply.

I’m guessing you likely work in an associated profession?
 
Last edited:
This was a really interesting read, assuming it’s accurate of course but I see no reason to doubt that. I felt that me just giving your very elaborate post a like couldn’t fully show my appreciation for the amount of detailed information I gained from this and the level of effort you put in, hence this reply.

I’m guessing you likely work in an associated profession?


sorry, didnt mean to mislead but info is from: https://deadline.com/2023/09/streaming-residuals-explained-suits-netflix-1235552804/
 
In streaming, there are two common types of residuals.

A fixed residual is paid to writers and actors involved in shows created for new media, which is determined based on a formula agreed upon in each union’s minimum basic agreement. Residuals for shows created for streaming are calculated using a formula that factors in the length of the program, the size of the service when the program was written, and the exhibition year.

The WGA formula can be viewed here. The SAG-AFTRA formula is broken down here.

There is also a revenue-based residual, which applies when a film or series is licensed to a streaming platform, and it is a percentage of the fee paid to the studio by the distributor.

Suits, produced by Universal Studio Group’s UCP, would fall under the latter category, because it originated on cabler USA Network and was licensed to a streaming service. In this case, NBCUniversal has licensed Suits both to its own service, Peacock, and to Netflix. In most cases, both Peacock and Netflix are paying a fee, and the residuals owed are 1.2% of the license fee to writers and 3.6% to principal performers.

“So you take that total number that Netflix paid UCP, and you divide it by [the number of episodes] … multiply it by 1.2%, and that’s what a writer gets paid,” a top agency partner told Deadline.

Since Netflix only licensed the first eight seasons, that equates to 124 episodes. Although the license fee for Suits has not been officially disclosed, sources told Deadline that it is in the range of $200,000-$400,000 per episode, which would put the deal between $25M and $50M.

Let’s cut the difference and assume Netflix paid $37.5M to license the show. This would mean a writer would make 1.2% of the fee paid for each episode they wrote, paid out over the term. That’s $3,629.

A similar equation applies for actors. Each principal performer would receive a pro rata share of 3.6% of the fee paid for each episode. So, again, for a $37.5M licensing fee for Suits, that would be $10,887 per episode equally split among all principal performers over the length of the deal.

These same equations apply for Peacock, which is technically licensing Suits from Universal Content Productions. But, since they are both within NBCUniversal, it may have been licensed for a lower fee, given that the deal extends over a longer period.

This is exactly what I was wondering thank you.
 
Back
Top Bottom