American Idol Earns Millions, Listed as Top TV Money Maker

American Idol Earns Millions, Listed as Top TV Money Maker

The season premiere of “American Idol” attracted “only” 21.9 million viewers, down 24% from the previous season. But thanks to Jennifer Lopez and the other judges - the show still wins its timeslot and has helped Fox rank as the No. 1 network among teens and adults aged 18 to 49.

This is the reason why advertisers still pay high for commercial time on "American Idol" than on any other show.  The singing contest tops the list of TV’s Biggest Moneymakers again with $6.64 million in ad revenue every half-hour in 2011. That’s down 6% from the previous year.

To be sure, the income figures provided are estimates. Another thing is this list doesn’t factor in the millions spent to produce and license these shows.  Since most ad time is bought before a show premieres, advertisers find themselves paying a lot of money for a much-hyped show that doesn’t live up to expectations.

The No. 2 show on our list is “The X Factor,” which brought in $5.55 million per half-hour. Before the talent show debuted, Simon Cowell predicted it would attract 20 million viewers. Considering Cowell’s success with "American Idol," advertisers bought time on the show based on the controversial host’s confidence.

Another show on our list is “Mad Love,” which ranks ninth, bringing in $2.49 million per half-hour. The CBS show premiered as a midseason replacement last February.

Despite the popular shows surrounding it, "Mad Love" failed to win over audiences and was cancelled that May.

But "The X Factor" and "Mad Love" are outliers. In general, advertisers tend to pay the most for well-known shows. That’s why shows that have been long aired on TV for eight seasons, like “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy” still rank on our list even if they are considered old chips.

"Grey’s Anatomy" ranks fifth, bringing in $2.75 million per half-hour, and "Desperate Housewives" ranks seventh with $2.61 million.

Other big network rankers: "Two and a Half Men," which ranks third with $3.24 million per half-hour and Fox’s “Glee” in the fourth place at $2.83 million per half-hour.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Wednesday April 11 2012, 4:02 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0