The Meilandjes are voluntarily saying goodbye to their program Chateau Meiland and that is quite a shame for Talpa, because they are still a ratings force on SBS 6. How much do they get paid?
According to Johnny de Mol, the son of the Meilandjes’ employer, it is crystal clear what the TV family is trying to achieve with the end of Chateau Meiland: a bigger TV contract. Martien and his family can now play several interested parties against each other, although critics think that they are not welcome at RTL because of their PVV sympathies.
‘They’ll be back’
TV authority Tina Nijkamp agrees that the Meilandjes probably won’t stop because they are tired of TV. “I think they will come back in two years. Anyone in the TV industry can think of ten formats within half an hour that they can be in that will also be a hit,” she says in the podcast The Media Week.
She continues: “I think we will see them again in a year or two years, but perhaps at Prime Video or at Videoland, because they can of course now start renegotiating. If you are with a channel, you are usually stuck.”
80,000 euros
How much money do the Meilandjes get for their reality series? Tina is the former channel manager of SBS 6 and therefore knows what amounts are circulating in the TV world. 50,000 euros per episode? “I think a little more. No, more. The whole family participates! I think 80K per episode for the family. At least.”
She continues: “Yes, that is one wild guess tho. No, not less. I mean: that is the most expensive, because the rest of the program is of course very cheap to make, so it is not that expensive anyway.”
‘SBS is bummed!’
The current season of Chateau Meiland is up for episode nine tonight, so count your winnings. However, for SBS 6 the salary is not that high. “No, SBS is disappointed that they are stopping. It has 1.2 million viewers, including postponed viewing. It is the most watched half-past eight program on Monday, isn’t it?”
Chateau Meiland is followed by Mike and his mother from B&B Vol Liefde. “That’s not going to work. It won’t be as big a hit as this. They don’t have much sympathy hanging around their asses. With Mike’s mother you think: maybe you’re very mean,” Tina concludes.