E! Shells Out Millions for New Kardashian Contract
by EG
The Kardashian-Jenner family has shown a remarkable ability to stay in the headlines by doing such seemingly mundane things as having babies, breaking up with boyfriends, going on vacation and putting on makeup. It may be inexplicable, but the Kardashian franchise is clearly valuable to the E! network, which houses Keeping Up with The Kardashians and a full slate of other Kardashian-related reality programming. This week the network renewed the family's contract with a new deal that's reportedly worth somewhere close to $100 million.
The Kardashians are staying put at E!
The reality TV family has inked a rich new multiyear deal with the NBCUniversal cabler, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
"We recently celebrated the milestone 10th anniversary of Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E! We have aired 13 wildly successful seasons of the franchise as well as 11 spinoffs, and season 14 is off to a strong start," a network spokesperson said Tuesday in a statement. We are incredibly proud of our partnership with the Kardashians and they remain an important part of the E! family. We look forward to continuing our collaboration for years to come."
An inside source said the deal runs through 2020 but disputed the $150 million-dollar price tag reported by TMZ, instead estimating the new pact is south of $100 million.
Since its 2007 launch, the unscripted series has expanded from a half-hour to an hourlong format and has also launched several spinoffs for the family, including Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Kourtney & Kim Take the Hamptons, Khloe & Lamar, Dash Dolls, I Am Cait, Rob & Chyna and Life With Kylie.
In addition to the 10th anniversary, the show will also celebrate its 200th episode on Sunday.
The Kardashians last renewed their contract at E! in 2015.
In recent years, the cabler has expanded into scripted series (The Royals, The Arrangement) and also launched several other unscripted franchises including Total Divas and WAGS. Keeping Up with The Kardashians remains one of its biggest hits.
In addition to their TV empire, which also includes E!'s Revenge Body With Khloe Kardashian, the Kardashians also have several clothing lines, makeup lines and a series of boutiques called Dash, which have been heavily featured on their reality shows.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Are you a fan of KUWTK? Tell us about it in the comment section below.