Ryan Seacrest’s 3 year contract with Idol is coming to an end, and insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that he’s in no position to negotiate another fat deal:
…an Idol insider says Seacrest is not likely to be offered the plum $45 million pact he scored in 2009. The source says the belief at Idol, which is produced by Fox, FremantleMedia and CKx, is that the show survived the departure of judge Simon Cowell after season nine and can thrive without Seacrest if he proves too pricey. “There’s no way Fremantle and CKx will continue to pay Ryan that kind of money when he can be replaced for $2 million to $3 million,” the source says.
Another problem? Idol creator Simon Fuller left 19 Entertainment in 2011 and no longer has a seat at the negotiating table. He was a champion of Ryan as well as the man responsible in luring Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to the show.
Ryan, THR reports, is expected to play hardball with Idol owners, CKx–recently acquired by Apollo Global Management. “It’s in Ryan’s best interest to make them sweat — the company has new people running it and has to play the game,” says the source. Ryan and CKx declined comment.
“NBC would love to get Ryan out of Idol because they have The Voice. Ryan is using it to renegotiate his deals, and NBC is looking for leverage with Lauer.”
If Ryan doesn’t get the money he wants, maybe he’ll walk. NBC–or any network–would be glad to take him.
VIA THR
