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Taylor Paul video row: ABC vs Warner Bros Discovery - Who will bear millions-worth costs after Bachelorette call?
Taylor Frankie Paul video: ABC vs Warner Bros vs Discovery - Who will bear millions-worth costs after Bachelorette call?
ABC and Warner Bros. Discovery are facing major issues after the cancellation of ‘The Bachelorette’. The fallout has already started with tension building over who is responsible and who will cover the losses.
What triggered the cancellations?
The decision to pull the plug came directly after TMZ posted a video on Thursday showing Taylor Frankie Paul attacking Dakota Mortensen while there was a child in the same room. The footage was too damaging for ABC to ignore and the network made the call to cancel the season entirely.
How much money are we talking about?
As TMZ cited, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the show costs around $2 million per episode to produce. At the time of the cancellations, only one episode, the one that was supposed to air on Sunday night is fully completed. Three more episodes are still being edited, while the rest have not been worked on much.
Apart from production costs, ABC is facing another big financial problem. The network had deals with airlines, hotels, and other brands that paid money to be featured on the show. Now that the show is cancelled, ABC will likely lose all that money, and sources say it is a huge amount.
The ‘Bachelor’ franchise in now in trouble too
The damage does not stop with The Bachelorette. According to TMZ, one of the top four contenders on the show was expected to be cast as the next ‘Bachelor’ on the companion franchise, based on audience reaction and the fame gained from the show. Now that The Bachelorette has been cancelled so those contestants are no longer strong options because they did not get the expected public exposure.
Sources say producers may now have to delay the next season of The Bachelor or choose someone from a previous season, and neither option is good for ratings.
ABC vs Warner Bros. Discovery: Who is responsible?
There is already a dispute over who will bear the financial losses, ABC or Warner Bros Discovery. According to TMZ, sources say there is already finger-pointing over who is to blame and the losses will likely have to be split in some form between the two companies.
