Column: Hollywood is spending more than ever. Where is the money going?
Streaming platforms have been spending more on television programming than at any other time in history. And yet, as the Hollywood actors and writers strikes have made clear, that money isn’t going to most of the workaday people who make these TV shows. So where is the money going? Let’s make some educated guesses.
In 2022, Netflix spent $16.7 billion on content. Over at Warner Bros. Discovery, that number was $18 billion.
How does that compare to what TV networks were spending 25 years ago? A 1997 report on the FCC’s website titled “TV Programming Costs” gives us a snapshot. The cost is broken down by licensing fees paid per week, or what TV networks were paying to
