Jerry Seinfeld just got even richer: Hulu buys the streaming video rights to Nineties TV series Seinfeld for $180 million 

By Laurel Brown for MailOnline

Published: 09:43 EST, 29 April 2015 | Updated: 09:55 EST, 29 April 2015

Hulu just paid a lot of money for a show about nothing.

The streaming video on-demand company has signed a deal to stream all 180 episodes of the NBC comedy TV series, Seinfeld, according to Variety. 

That did not come cheap - Hulu reportedly paid almost $180 million for the show.

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Big buy: Hulu has purchased the streaming rights to Seinfeld for almost $180 million

Big buy: Hulu has purchased the streaming rights to Seinfeld for almost $180 million

Each episode of the Emmy-winning comedy was valued at just under $1 million in the deal, which will give Hulu exclusive rights to the series for an as-yet-unknown time period.

This will mark the first time the entire show will be available for online binge-viewing - prior to this, only a limited number of Seinfeld episodes were available on Sony's Crackle.

A formal announcement of the deal will come with Hulu's upfront presentation on Wednesday.

Success: One of the most loved comedies of all time, Seinfeld ran for nine seasons in the 1990s; here Jerry Seinfeld is pictured with Jason Alexander

Success: One of the most loved comedies of all time, Seinfeld ran for nine seasons in the 1990s; here Jerry Seinfeld is pictured with Jason Alexander

Hulu's purchase of a classic TV show at a high price follows similar deals for Friends, The Simpsons, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation over the past few years.

In October 2014, Netflix bought the rights to all 236 episodes of Friends at $500K per installment, allowing the streaming giant for four years of exclusive streaming starting on January 1.

As for Hulu, its biggest deal prior to the Seinfeld purchase was $120 million for the more than 300 episodes of CSI.

Online gold: The show 'about nothing' created by Jerry and Larry David (left) reportedly sold to Hulu for almost $1 million per episode; also pictured are Alexander (far right), Michael Richards (middle) and Julia-Louis-Dreyfus

Online gold: The show 'about nothing' created by Jerry and Larry David (left) reportedly sold to Hulu for almost $1 million per episode; also pictured are Alexander (far right), Michael Richards (middle) and Julia-Louis-Dreyfus

The biggest streaming deal so far, however, was for The Simpsons, which cost FXX $750 million for the cable and digital rights to all episodes (past and future) in 2013.

Premiering on July 5, 1998 for a short summer season, Seinfeld eventually became one of television's top-rated shows and attracted more than 30 million viewers weekly in its final four seasons.

Stardom: Jerry (above on Thursday in NYC) was known primarily as a stand-up comedian prior to his breakout role

Stardom: Jerry (above on Thursday in NYC) was known primarily as a stand-up comedian prior to his breakout role

On top of launching stars Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards, Seinfeld garnered significant awards attention.

The show won 10 Emmys over the course of its run, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993.

It was nominated for that same award eight times and was, in 2002, named the best television show of all time by TV Guide.

Awards: Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series eight times, the show won that award - one of its 10 overall Emmy wins - in 1993

Awards: Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series eight times, the show won that award - one of its 10 overall Emmy wins - in 1993

 

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