HBO’s “Game of Thrones” was considered one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, but its high budget is starting to look prosaic as the streaming war heats up.
The hit show’s final season cost $15 million an episode, or $90 million for the six-episode season, according to Variety. But that was for the closing season of one of the most impactful TV shows in history.
Compare that to the $25 million an episode (according to The Hollywood Reporter) that Disney will spend on its Marvel TV shows for its upcoming streaming platform, Disney Plus, and “Game of Thrones” suddenly starts to look frugal.
TV budgets have ballooned in the age of streaming. Netflix’s high-budget shows, “The Crown” and “Stranger Things,” cost $10 million and $8 million per episode, respectively, according to Variety. Amazon paid $250 million for the rights to “Lord of the Rings” alone, according to THR.
And it’s not just original programs. Companies are dropping hundreds of millions of dollars on popular content like “Friends” and “The Office” and snatching them away from Netflix.
Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos said in an earnings call last week that prices for competitive shows have increased by 30% since last year due to intense bidding wars.
Below are five upcoming TV projects that highlight how much companies are spending on original content:
