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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Ricky Gervais has been reported saying that The Office syndication kept generating checks and that he cashed them because the rights were his. But the public record cited here does not disclose how much he personally received—or verify a fortune from U.S. reruns. The widely reported millions-per-episode figure was for the series’ overall syndication deal, not Gervais’s share.
What Gervais has said about syndication checks
Yahoo Finance’s 2013 coverage of a GQ interview quoted Gervais calling syndication “the gift that keeps on giving” and saying, “It was my rights, so I cashed the checks.” Yahoo Finance reported his remarks, but they are not a public contract or an itemized financial statement. The account does not specify exactly which rights he meant or state a dollar amount.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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The Office: The Complete Series | $34.51 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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The Office: The Complete Series - Boxed Set - American Version - DVD | $68.63 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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The Office: Season 1 | $7.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![The Office: Season Eight [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51MCStbjfLL._SL160_.jpg)
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The Office: Season Eight [DVD] | $11.94 | Buy on Amazon |
That distinction matters: the remarks support the idea that Gervais received money connected with syndication, but they do not establish the size of his payments, his precise contractual share, or the total he earned from U.S. reruns.
Why the reported syndication deal is not Gervais’s earnings
In 2007, TVWeek reported that industry sources valued the overall syndication price for the American series at $3 million to $4 million per episode, with barter included for cable and broadcast windows. TVWeek was describing the distribution economics of the series, not a payment to Gervais.
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Multiplying that reported figure by the show’s 201 episodes would not produce a reliable estimate of Gervais’s income. The figure describes a reported deal price, not a disclosed personal royalty rate; it also includes barter and relates to the series’ distribution. No reviewed source provides the contract terms needed to calculate his share.
How widely the U.S. rerun launch reached
The U.S. series began its off-network syndication rollout in fall 2009. Broadcasting & Cable reported that NBC Universal had sold the show to stations covering more than 93% of the United States, attributing the coverage figure to Barry Wallach, then president of NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution. Broadcasting & Cable / Next TV reported station clearance reach—not Gervais’s personal income.
A separate trade account covered the planned launch and negotiations, but noted that some figures were disputed. Negotiation and asking prices from that coverage should not be treated as settled final license fees. Broadcasting & Cable / Next TV describes that historical negotiation context.
Broadcast syndication, cable, streaming and format rights are different
The Office rights landscape includes distinct types of arrangements. They concern different uses, territories and periods, and their reported values cannot be combined into a personal-income total for Gervais.
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| Rights type | Territory and period | What the cited source establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Off-network broadcast syndication | U.S.; launch planned for fall 2009 | TVWeek reported an overall syndication price of $3 million to $4 million per episode, based on industry sources, with barter included for cable and broadcast windows. It is not Gervais’s disclosed share. TVWeek, 2007 |
| Station clearances | U.S.; fall 2009 launch | NBC Universal said the sale reached stations covering more than 93% of the country, as reported by Broadcasting & Cable. This is coverage, not earnings. Broadcasting & Cable / Next TV, 2009 |
| Streaming | Domestic streaming rights; five-year exclusive period beginning in 2021 | NBCUniversal announced exclusive rights for all nine seasons. The company also said the show streamed for over 52 billion minutes in 2018; that is a company-reported audience measure, not compensation information. NBCUniversal, 2019 |
| Cable reruns | Comedy Central exclusive cable window through 2021, followed by a non-exclusive Viacom Media Networks window through 2025 | Paramount said the deal sum was undisclosed. This was a separate cable-rights arrangement, not the original 2009 broadcast syndication deal. Paramount, 2019 |
| British-format license | International; Russia | The Guardian reported in 2008 that BBC Worldwide licensed the British format to Russia’s Channel One for a local adaptation. This is distinct from U.S. syndication of the American remake. The Guardian, 2008 |
The streaming figure and cable windows show that distribution arrangements continued in later years, but neither supplies evidence of Gervais’s personal payment. A large audience, a rights deal and an individual’s earnings are separate facts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and is not—publicly established about his income
The cited public reporting supports a careful conclusion: Gervais has been reported saying syndication produced checks for him, and the American series generated substantial distribution activity. It does not verify the amount he received from U.S. syndication, his percentage under any agreement, or a lifetime total attributable to those rights.
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Other reported Gervais income should not be folded into that figure. A 2005 Guardian profile said he turned down a £5 million BBC deal and expected a substantial payment for executive-producing the American adaptation. Those remarks concern separate work and an earlier deal context, not disclosed U.S. syndication income. The Guardian, 2005
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