Judge Judy Sheindlin’s long career arbitrating legal disputes is paying off in a big way.
Judy, 74, has just agreed to sell her archive of her 10,400 Judge Judy episodes to CBS for $95 million dollars, according to the NY Post.
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The deal is sweetened by the fact that the buyout is a part of a deal with CBS to keep her on the air through 2021, bringing the total number of Judge Judy seasons to 25.
While $95 million seems like a huge figure for a TV court show, there’s a lot of money in play for both parties.
The show was responsible for $244.7 million of CBS’s 2016 ad revenue. Judy herself makes around $45 million a year from the program.
The reality court show is shown in 150 countries, with 260 episodes produced per year. It’s a powerhouse in the daytime TV world, drawing 10 million viewers on average.
The sale can be seen as a power play from Judy. Back when she was up for a previous renewal, CBS agreed to sell the archive back to her. Now she’s selling it back with added value.
CBS is now able to license the show to an online streaming service. The company is even venturing into the streaming game itself, so Judge Judy could be a key digital property for the network.
This deal cements Judy’s career with CBS, and it appears she doesn’t want to go anywhere else.
“My mother always told me it’s proper etiquette to leave the dance with the person who brought you,” she said in a statement.
Judge Judy airs every weekday at various times, based on your local station’s schedule.