pounds 400,000 AN HOUR
(Daily Record Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)SIMON Cowell is Britain's biggest earning showbiz star, raking in a staggering pounds 19.5 million a year for hosting American Idol.
Simon, 46, is paid the massive amount by US network Fox who see him as their biggest and most popular star.
And with just 45 hours of programming, that means Cowell earns more than pounds 400,000-an-hour for the US version of Pop Idol.
The figure emerged in a book called Desperate Networks, by American TV critic Bill Carter.
Carter claims Cowell threatened to walk out on the show unless Fox agreed to the deal, and he now has a five-year contract with the network.
American Idol is the most popular TV show in the US with an average of 25 million viewers. More importantly, it is also aimed at the 18-34 age range that advertisers are always so desperate to catch.
A slot during an Idol ad break will cost advertisers pounds 450,000 for 30 seconds of advertising space.
The show has its own magazine, a range of American Idol dolls and even limited edition Pop-Tarts.
During the summer and autumn, Fox halt American Idol so Cowell can host The X Factor in the UK.
But while Cowell's money is coming in fast, he also enjoys spending it.
He recently bought Jennifer Lopez's Beverly Hills mansion for pounds 6million and is spending another pounds 3million rebuilding it.
Cowell also owns a pounds 6million house in Holland Park, west London, and a fleet of luxury cars.
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