What Thomas Gottschalk earned with "Wetten, dass...?"
For decades, Thomas Gottschalk gave us the zampano on "Wetten, dass...? But he was also well paid for it. Now a former contract with his starting salary at the time has been made public. It is also no secret what he probably earned most recently.
No question: Thomas Gottschalk has earned his place in the lineage of great TV entertainers alongside predecessors such as Peter Frankenfeld, Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff and Rudi Carrell. He hosted "Wetten, dass...?" more than 150 times alone. For 37 years, albeit with two interruptions, he was the zampano without whom the show simply wouldn't work.
It is no surprise that he was handsomely remunerated by ZDF. And not just since successors such as Wolfgang Lippert or Markus Lanz cut their teeth trying to hold a candle to him. The "Bild" newspaper has now published a contract that Gottschalk is said to have signed with the Mainz-based broadcaster in 1987 - the year of his first "Wetten, dass...?" presentation.
The document shows that Gottschalk was paid 100,000 marks for presenting a "Wetten, dass...?" show at the time. With a total of four shows a year, his fee for this format alone amounted to 400,000 marks. But that wasn't all: the contract stipulated further engagements for Gottschalk "as part of freelance work": a "Na, sowas Extra" for 20,000 marks, a show for the opening of the International Consumer Electronics Fair (IFA) with the presentation of the International German Music Award for 25,000 marks and ten episodes of the show "Na, siehste" as the "IFA-Kompakt-Magazin" for 80,000 marks each.
Free overtime
The approximate broadcast lengths are also specified in the contract - they vary between 105 and 180 minutes. One thing is clear: Gottschalk was happy to go well over the 105 minutes that were still envisaged for each "Wetten, dass...?" show at the time, presumably working free overtime.
While the contract from Gottschalk's early days on "Wetten, dass...?" is available in black and white to the "Bild" newspaper, there are only rumors about the fee that the presenter later received for his presentation of the show. However, these have been persistent and almost unchanged for years. According to these rumors, Gottschalk later also received 100,000 per "Wetten, dass...?" edition - but now in euros instead of marks. It was also rumored here and there that his salary ultimately rose to up to 200,000 euros per episode.
Estimates of the 73-year-old's wealth are also circulating. They most recently amounted to around 90 million euros. In addition to his TV and radio engagements, advertising in particular is likely to have contributed to Gottschalk's wealth. Among other things, he was the figurehead of the confectionery manufacturer Haribo for a long time.
- Despite the rumors, the exact amount Thomas Gottschalk earned per episode of "Wetten, dass...?" during its later years remains a secret, but it was commonly believed that he still received 100,000 euros per show.
- In addition to his earnings from "Wetten, dass...?", Thomas Gottschalk also gained significant income from his advertising deals, notably serving as the ambassador for Haribo.
- Aside from betting games and TV shows, Thomas Gottschalk's enjoyment of entertainment encompasses watching his favorite football teams on TV, such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, reflecting his love for both sports and television.
Source: www.ntv.de
