Commentators earnings?

[daffie]

With the high price money for snooker players themselves, and in this tournament especially, I have always wondered what commentators like Dennis Taylor, John Parrot, Neil Foulds, John Virgo, Willie Thorne and other regulars earn during the year commentating on snooker for the BBC? Now that Hendry will be joining them as a regular I believe, it must be somewhat lucrative...knowing Hendry and his business-savvy instincts (deals in China f.i.).

Do they make their living with it, or is merely some extra money on the side?

Anyone know?

[PatBlock]

I was wondering the same thing this afternoon, I'd suppose they have individual contracts for varying amounts depending on their popularity/experience, rather than just a flat fee for the job.
I'd like to think that Hendry gets a bit more than JV anyway.

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[highbreak 8]

i would guess anywhere between 100k - 250k for Taylor and Virgo . [ per year ] Griffiths / Davis 100k . Fould's / Doherty 50k . That is my opinion, being once associated with the Acting Union , and having an rough understanding of the HIGH rates given to BBC sport;s analysts . EG the football pundit;s are on 500, 000 + pa.

Hendry probably will be paid the equivalent of Steve Davis, so i would guess £ 2 k per day , for the duration of the tournament .

[daffie]

Pheww...they sure could do worse then! That's some serious money, especially for doing something that they really love doing. I heard Gary Lineker is getting over 1 million per year for his MOTD? Amazing amounts of cash indeed, bbc pays well

[screw-back]

highbreak 8 I think you are WAY off the mark. I believe they are paid a daily rate which is more like £750 per day (and that was a few years ago so will be more like £1000 pd these days). Take 17 days for the World Championship, 10 for each of the Masters and UK. On top of that they get their hotel paid, probably have travelling allowance and food thrown in. Even if I am correct, and I stand to be corrected, it is an obscene amount for what they do. If YOU are correct, that is obviously a lot worse.

Can you imaging that on a two table day, there are four of them commentating at any one time and they don't work all three sessions. There are 12 jobs so 6 commentators plus Waldorf and Staedtler in the studio with Hazel and Rishi and that equates to a gross overspend of licence-payers' money.

Suppose it could be worse. They could be paid by the word and Thorne would be a millionnaire by now!

[LittleMissAlexa]

Taylor moonlights for itv so may get even more

[Neil Taperell]

Mike Hallett told me once that he gets better paid on Eurosport than he would at the BBC .

[JeeSe]

Mike Hallett told me once that he gets better paid on Eurosport than he would at the BBC .

Snooker is the most watched sport on Eurosport though, is it not?

So eurosport must value it very highly, similar to the way the BBC would be valuing MOTD.

[LittleMissAlexa]

Snooker is the most watched sport on Eurosport though, is it not?

So eurosport must value it very highly, similar to the way the BBC would be valuing MOTD.

its also a sports channel the bbc channels are entertainment channels

[DeanH]

Mike Hallett told me once that he gets better paid on Eurosport than he would at the BBC .

Is that better paid per day or just purely down to the fact that there is more snooker on Eurosport that on the BBC; so across the season...

Snooker is the most watched sport on Eurosport though, is it not?

So eurosport must value it very highly, similar to the way the BBC would be valuing MOTD.

Would be interesting to see the percentage of viewing figures across sports on Eurosport

[doorag]

Snooker is the most watched sport on Eurosport though, is it not?

So eurosport must value it very highly, similar to the way the BBC would be valuing MOTD.

More watched than tennis and football? They view three grand slams and bundesliga. Those have to do huge numbers.

[montoya10]

More watched than tennis and football? They view three grand slams and bundesliga. Those have to do huge numbers.

Eurosport Turkey commentator has recently told that snooker is the most watched sport amongst all that Eurosport covers. Maybe it's a local data, but it could help for evaluation.

[chasmmi]

Isn't part of the reason haneever retired because he was earning more as a commentator than a player and so it actually cost him money to win matches?

Admittedly his earnings as a player are not the highest but still...

[LittleMissAlexa]

haneveer wasnt winning matches hence he wasnt earning money

[highbreak 8]

highbreak 8 I think you are WAY off the mark. I believe they are paid a daily rate which is more like £750 per day (and that was a few years ago so will be more like £1000 pd these days). Take 17 days for the World Championship, 10 for each of the Masters and UK. On top of that they get their hotel paid, probably have travelling allowance and food thrown in. Even if I am correct, and I stand to be corrected, it is an obscene amount for what they do. If YOU are correct, that is obviously a lot worse.

Can you imaging that on a two table day, there are four of them commentating at any one time and they don't work all three sessions. There are 12 jobs so 6 commentators plus Waldorf and Staedtler in the studio with Hazel and Rishi and that equates to a gross overspend of licence-payers' money.

Suppose it could be worse. They could be paid by the word and Thorne would be a millionnaire by now!

Hi the £ 750 per day is the daily rate for voice over artist's, and radio show's ie radio 4 [ i have just been paid £ 800 equity rates for a day's filming for TV olympic advert !!!!!!]

RE . The snooker commentator's, ' KEY TALENT ' Virgo will have had a BBC contract from his big break day's ,which would have been re negotiated several times over the years, so i guess he will be paid per annum , plus a retainer, if they use him on other none related BBC show's, trailers and all the special features they produce during the 16 day's , so i would guess he will be on close to £ 1500 per day £ 750 a session . day / night . £ 100k plus per year . over the course of the BBC total coverage inc ALL the special features etc i would say at least £100 000 + each

Taylor would have come in on the back of that final ... and his people would have negotiated a rate of about £ 100 k per year also.
. Thorne slightly less due to not as much stature , Hendry will command [as he is the ex seven times champion] a short term contract ,for this event the equal of the highest paid so i bet he will earn nearer 25k + for the 16 day's .

Ditto Davies [ see above ] .

Foulds Doherty , probably around your £ 750 per day .