CAA Agent Reveals High Costs of Netflix Original Programs

Though Netflix has been tight-lipped about disclosing information regarding the exact cost and streaming numbers of its original shows, it seems as though players like CAA lit agent Peter Micelli feel quite comfortable sharing such info.

During a panel discussion this Saturday at the annual UCLA Entertainment Symposium for show business lawyers, Micelli spoke candidly about the higher-than-average budgets fueling Netflix’s original programming, according to a report by Deadline.

Without divulging exact specifics, Micelli stated that the cheapest show costs $3.8 million an episode. House of Cards, Netflix’s much-buzzed about original series starring Kevin Spacey, was originally slated for $4.5 million but director David Fincher apparently went “way above that.”

Furthermore, both Hemlock Grove and Orange is the New Black, two upcoming Netflix-exclusive shows, average around $4 million. This is in contrast to the up-and-coming Amazon Studios, which reportedly budgets about one million per episode of original content.

In terms of future deals, Micelli revealed that Netflix will hold a four-year exclusive deal with each of its shows before re-selling them to a linear cable channel.

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.