Eli5: How do TV shows like Total Wipeout or Euphoria etc make a profit?

Question

Not necessarily reality just TV shows like Total Wipeout, but TV shows in general.

I saw that Zendaya gets paid 1 mill USD per episode to be in Euphoria, which is INSANE. How do the creators of these shows make a profit? Where exactly is the income coming from?

In: 5

Answer 1

Creators of shows sell the rights to show the series/movies in TV and streaming services. That’s were most of the money is coming from. Then TV and streaming services show ads, and they get money from there.

Some shows also get money from selling branded stuff, such as t-shirts and plushies.