AppleTV+
- Apple will pay "Ted Lasso" star Jason Sudeikis $1 million per episode starting next season, sources told THR.
- The deal is a major pay bump from Sudeikis' season one and two rates of $250,000-$300,000 per episode.
- Apple said the season two premiere had the largest audience of any original production on Apple TV+.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Apple is raising "Ted Lasso" star Jason Sudeikis' season three pay rate to approximately $1 million per episode, sources told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sudeikis reportedly made between $250,000 and $300,000 per episode during seasons one and two. The renegotiated package includes compensation for Sudeikis' additional roles as head writer and producer, as well as creator fees, according to the report.
His pay bump follows a wildly successful first two seasons of the comedy series, with the season two premiere bringing in more viewers than any original Apple TV+ show to date, the studio said.
The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg wrote that almost all of Ted Lasso's talent and writers are receiving significant pay bumps in season three contract negotiations due to the show's popularity.
Producers Apple TV+ and Warner Bros TV are currently negotiating who will cover the show's rising costs, licensing fees, and linear rights, according to THR.
The analytics company TVision Insights provided Insider's Travis Clark with a list of the most binge-watched TV shows on streaming services in July, including both original and library titles. The data showed "Ted Lasso" has become a breakout hit with a 61.3% binge-watching rate, higher than the July rates for classics "The Office" and "Friends."
Apple and Warners did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.