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# Why Everyone In TV Still Sweats Seinfriends
- URL: https://tvrev2beta2.ghost.io/why-everyone-in-tv-still-sweats-seinfreinds/
- Published: 2019-09-17T21:18:13.000Z
- Updated: 2019-09-17T21:18:13.000Z
- Author: Annie Edwards
- Tags: Advertising, Streaming Wars, Data & Measurement, #sqs, #Import 2026-09-03 19:30

---

Netflix lost *Friends*, and came back [with ](https://deadline.com/2019/09/seinfeld-netflix-streaming-rights-leave-hulu-1202735895/?ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io)[*Seinfeld*](https://deadline.com/2019/09/seinfeld-netflix-streaming-rights-leave-hulu-1202735895/?ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io). With peak TV, and so much to watch, some wonder why anyone would pay $500 million for the rights to old shows?

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/18/4b/184bce7f-90ef-4333-95df-ad6ebcbdad98/content/images/images-squarespace-cdn-com/content/v1/60df3ea739725c04ca27d651/1628030805063-K9294OVTVEEPSU19OJMQ/3atdoj.webp)

Inspired by [Alan Wolk, who took to Cheddar](https://cheddar.com/media/netflix-secures-seinfeld-as-streaming-platforms-vie-for-nostalgic-hits/player?autoplay=false&ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io) to discuss the value of nostalgic reruns, and the price jump from Hulu's $130 million Seinfeld acquisition in 2015 to Netflix's $500 million purchase this week.

I wondered, how does each compare in terms of its contributions to linear TV these days? [Using TV ad attribution and measurement company, iSpot](http://ispot.tv/?ref=tvrev2beta2.ghost.io), I ran some quick numbers.

While I'd put *Seinfeld* easily in the funnier category, in terms of its financial contribution, Jerry and company don't have much on *Friends*. Unless you're looking for an older, more gender-balanced audience. Here are the findings:

**Friends skews female**

![](https://i0.wp.com/tvrev.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/friends_show-overview_impressions-by-gender_01-01-2019_to_09-16-2019-1.png?fit=1024%2C512&ssl=1)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/18/4b/184bce7f-90ef-4333-95df-ad6ebcbdad98/content/images/images-squarespace-cdn-com/content/v1/60df3ea739725c04ca27d651/1628030807348-XZYOVFSAHXMWN1ISOJG0/giphy-9.gif)

You'll also notice something even more interesting to brands: while *Seinfeld* looks a lot like a typical TV viewing audience, *Friends* has a strong under-55 audience.

![](https://i2.wp.com/tvrev.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/friends_show-overview_impressions-by-age-range_01-01-2019_to_09-16-2019.png?fit=1024%2C401&ssl=1)

![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/0DS5p1fUH5Yepgtmvvvq9YDFGXaUvK1SbNcsoHj48aY7CFB2HnyMOAb0avX9fVKdw49P5mpsCPXOGg-0pYKlmrsJs6U4khEdkF_FZVbTeA5oVOZtKhmI1XeUr0twdYk3iskbJvTI)

**Not just cash cows, work horses**

Now let's get even nerdier. Since January 1, *Friends* has generated **29 BILLION TV ad impressions**. That's not people estimated to have seen it, that's the number of times an ad showed up on a TV screen in between episodes. Seinfeld has delivered 4.8 billion ad impressions to date.

![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fLyJ4o8M8PraOF776lAJqxBvkqRZAQCzlHK4-MxXN5EjdVS-knd-UTKlzWMVzeuj2VDwBe2iYnSVynDEymC14FgBXRK__hprcLGNibNP5GAGxXgFYMzPWUH2EWqwjkNU28FtkSxw)

Friends TV ad impression Count: Jan 1-Sept 16, 2019 (iSpot.tv)

For context, an average TV day across all channels and airings carries about 8 billion TV ad impressions. *Friends* in this ballpark context will carry five days of the year's TV inventory on its back. Friends and Seinfeld carry a week's worth of all TV ad inventory, roughly.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/18/4b/184bce7f-90ef-4333-95df-ad6ebcbdad98/content/images/images-squarespace-cdn-com/content/v1/60df3ea739725c04ca27d651/1628030806894-NUHMJKIQVF4MJHZJTLMZ/giphy-7.gif)

Friends generated an estimated **$178.3 million** for networks since Jan 1\. Compare that to Seinfeld at $61.8 million or the critically acclaimed *This Is Us* on NBC, which generated a handsome $81.6 million this year for 2.1 billion ad impressions on a mere **372 ad airings**.

To get to the $178 million mark for *Friends*, networks ran some 110,223 ad airings. Back of the napkin math: that's 55,111 minutes or 918 hours or 38 days worth of TV advertising that it's delivered back to the industry.