Harry Mens (77) will continue to make his talk show Business Class at RTL for at least another three years. How much does he earn from that? “It’s somewhere between five tons and a million a year.”
According to Tina Nijkamp, no dog watches Business Class – it concerns several tens of thousands of viewers – but presenter Harry Mens has been doing a lot of talking about it for years. Yet he is now 77 years old. How long will he keep making this? After his recent flirtation with SBS 6, he has decided to sign with RTL for a number of years.
Million per year
Harry says he will stay at RTL for at least another three years. He says in the Quote: “In principle, this will now continue indefinitely, but with a minimum of 3 years. After that, both parties have a notice period of one year. I have been doing it for 27 years now, and I would like to complete the 30.”
It just makes a lot of money, he continues. “RTL never likes it when I discuss what I get out of it. Will it exceed my income from real estate? No, because I’m quite handy at that too. Well, it varies, but it is somewhere between five tons and a million per year.”
‘It fluctuates’
Why does it fluctuate so much? Harry: “There have of course also been bad years, with corona and such. And if there is an economic downturn, it will also decrease.”
Where all that money comes from? Almost all Business Class guests have to pay to appear at the table, around 12,500 euros. “But of course there are also people who come more often, who get a discount. My viewers are 60 percent men over 50, and 40 percent women over 50. And they are all affluent.”
Target group TV
And that is precisely what makes it so interesting for advertisers, says Harry. “It is real target group TV. While others are screaming for more viewers, I have fewer. But with quality!”
Eighty percent of guests pay. How much on earth has Harry already cashed? “I’ve made about 1,100 episodes. They now last a net 77 minutes. I receive six guests at a time.”
Do the math…