Recently, Musician Bahati and his wife Diana made history after becoming the first Kenyan couple to launch the first ever reality show on Netflix, dubbed ‘The Bahati Empire’, which, according to them, revolves around their family.
The couple had earlier made history as the first Kenyan couple to have a reality show on National TV, with their NTV show ‘Being Bahati’.
According to The Star, the Netflix show features various Kenyan celebrities such as Karen Nyamu, Jalang’o, Rev Lucy Natasha, Mike Sonko, The Wa Jesus Family, Size 8, Terrence Creative, among others.
This was a significant achievement, given that Netflix is the largest movie-streaming platform worldwide.
How much Netflix pays for Reality Shows
Netflix pays for films in two ways:
The first way is by developing in-house movies and TV shows, such as Stranger Things, whereby the cast receives a given salary on contract basis.
The other option is by purchasing exclusive rights to broadcast externally produced TV shows and movies, whereby they pay actors, comedians, or celebrities to produce content that is streamed on the platform.
According to Fiction Horizon, Netflix pays between $100 and $250 million for a show.
The payment depends on factors such as:
- The show’s popularity to Netflix viewers
- The show’s production cost and quality
- Whether the show is watched by a global audience
- Whether other streaming platforms are willing to air the show (which drives up its value)
The most expensive TV show on Netflix is The Crown, estimated to have cost about $520 million. Others, like Stranger Things, reported an estimated budget of $300 million.
That said, the amount that Bahati is expected to earn from The Show depends on the deal, which Netflix rarely discloses publicly.
He will likely earn from the royalties, which, according to Fiction Horizon, amount to approximately 10-20% of direct profits.
However, in some cases, a Netflix show may not make money at all.
According to The Guardian, actors in documentaries and reality TV shows are sometimes paid via exposure, whereby the chance of achieving global celebrity status acts as compensation.
In others, they are paid via social media endorsements and fame.
For instance, reality stars who participated in shows such as Survivor and ‘The Bachelor’ received no payment and were expected to sign contracts beforehand stating that “they will not make claims against the producer for compensation.
However, shows that are dominated by household names, such as ‘The Kardashians’ and ‘The Real Housewives’, are the ones that benefit from massive paychecks.
For instance, The Kardashians reportedly make up to $900 000 (Ksh 116.1 M) per episode.
Therefore, Bahati’s paycheck from his Netflix show boils down to his negotiations with Netflix.
Other Kenyan movies on Netflix
Aside from The Bahati Empire, other notable Kenyan movies on Netflix include:
- Click Click Bang
- Nairobi Half Life
- Mpakani: Story of the North
- Sincerely Daisy
