American Idol Top Earners

Carrie Underwood

Though many former "Idol" stars are cashing in on their fame, their fortunes are just a small part of the program's economy. "American Idol" has been the top show in America for eight years in a row, and the winners' vote totals often rival those of presidential candidates. Some industry observers have estimated that "Idol" generates $1 billion in total revenue per year.  It's interesting to note that  "Idol" gets a big piece of recent alumni's album sales and the nationwide concert tour that the top contestants embark upon every year after the finale. 

Carrie Underwood leads the Forbes list of the "American Idol" top earners with $20 million over the past year. The country star cashed in on a tour that included over 80 dates in 12 months and banked as much as the rest of the top five on our list combined. 

TV's Biggest Money Makers

Ever wondered who's making the big bucks in TV land?  If you base the ranking on revenue per 30 minutes, take a look at the top ten money makers listed below:

1.  American Idol-$8.1 million

2. Two and a Half Men-$3.1 million
    The show is the most watched sitcom at 15 million viewers weekly.

3. 24-$3 million
    Kiefer Sutherland's high intensity drama generated $6 million in revenue for a single
    episode last year.
4. Grey's Anatomy-$2.8 million
     The soapy medical drama garners a viewership of 13.5 million viewers per week.
5.  V-$2.8 million
     The limited run science fiction series started with 14.3 million viewers weekly initially, then lost
     5 million viewers after the first four episodes and currently runs less than 5 million viewers.
6.  Desperate Housewives-$2.7 million
     Advertisers shell out $5 million  per episode for the saga of the ladies of Wisteria Lane.
7.  Dancing With the Stars-$2.56 million
     The dance competition nets 19.6 million viewers each week.
8.  Lost-$2.53 million
     Advertisers shell out $5 million per episode.  The show nets 12 million viewers in an average week.
9.  Survivor-$2.22 million
     The reality genre show cost $4.5 million per average hour.
10. C.S.I.-Crime Scene Investigation-$2.07 million
      The original CSI set in Las Vegas is the granddaddy of them all.  At a cost of $4 million per
       episode, the show  nets 15.8 million viewers weekly.

Lost of viewers, lots of cash.  Imagine, there are five of these ten shows that I've never watched.  Ever.


Source: Forbes