‘KUWTK’ Ending Was Family and Biz Decision, More Money on Social Media

“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” started as a savvy biz move and it’s going out as one too — the primary reason it’s ending is all about extending the family empire.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … there are a number of reasons Kim, Kris and co. decided to close this chapter of their lives, but a major one had to do with the Kardashian brand getting way more play on media outlets other than TV.

Fact is, the Kardashians used their series as a platform to plug themselves, their products, their businesses and anything else they saw fit to help them grow. But, as time went on and more people ditched cable TV … the appeal of staying on the airwaves diminished.

Frankly, our sources say social media has largely replaced what ‘Keeping Up’ once provided. And, that’s easy to see in the numbers — each of the Kardashian sisters have millions upon millions of followers, so their reach there far outweighs anyone still tuning in to E!.

Of course, we’re told ratings played into the decision too — yes, the numbers were down, but we’re told that’s also been chalked up to people watching in different ways these days.

Despite reports they pulled the plug over money — namely, that Kris allegedly sought upwards of $40 mil per season for a handful of more years — we’re told the actual reasons are much less cutthroat. It was just time to move on, and chase opportunities elsewhere.

There’s also this … our sources say E! honchos wanted to delve more into Kanye‘s mental health issues, but we’re told Kim pushed back on that. It’s just one of the many reasons why the family felt it was time for change, and no one incident or person sparked it.

Speaking of moving on, our sources say the Kardashian clan is planning to stay off-camera for a while and enjoy themselves, while reassessing what might be next for them as a unit.