How much do sharks get paid to appear on Shark Tank?

One thing the Sony hack has given us—in addition to the words “James Franco” dripping derisively from a sitting president's mouth during a press conference—was some more insight into how much the Sharks are paid for each episode of ABC's Shark Tank. read more

UPDATE: now that the show is a monster hit, I wouldn't be surprised if the Sharks get paid quite a bit more; probably somewhere between $200k and $600k per episode. But I still think their primary compensation is the profit-sharing, as I mention below. read more

The leaked messages prove the Sharks are compensated additionally for each show they appear in. Because of how it’s shot, the number of episodes per season of Shark Tank is variable. In Season 4, for example, the network began by ordering 22 hours, and as the season went on and ratings proved healthy, it ordered two more, and then more, bringing the total number of episodes that season to 29. read more

Still, Cuban’s salary for each season is pretty high, considering Shark Tank produces more episodes than the average scripted program. Last year, the show filmed 29 episodes, which means Cuban would have received $870,000 at 30K per episode (if that is, indeed, the final deal they signed). read more