Many interview shows didn't jump straight into the interview. The host would give an opening speech, there might be other activities in the middle, and after the celebrity left at the end, the host might offer a few closing remarks.
The terms in Wang Yi's contract were simple: No matter how many minutes I appeared, my fee would be calculated based on the total length of your show.
I didn't appear during the first three minutes;
I left during the final five minutes;
Neither of those things had anything to do with me.
Even if I appeared on the show for only one minute, as long as the show ran for 40 minutes, you had to pay me $400,000.
You could call it an outrageous clause, or you could choose not to sign.
Once you signed, you had to accept my outrageous clause. That was how domineering he was.
ESPN wanted to attract as much traffic as possible, so it planned a relatively long episode, lasting an hour and a half.
Wang Yi wouldn't stay on a show like that for the full hour and a half. At most, he'd appear for 30 to 50 minutes.
For those 30 to 50 minutes, under Wang Yi's outrageous clause, ESPN still had to pay him the full $900,000.
You could say ESPN was paying dearly for this.
As for Sports Illustrated paying three million dollars for a thirty-minute interview with Wang Yi back then, that had been a special case.
It was purely because the playoffs were underway at the time.
Wang Yi generally didn't do those kinds of frivolous shows during the playoffs.
Even when his foot was injured and he couldn't play, he hadn't wanted to do interviews and risk affecting team morale.
Sports Illustrated had simply had money to