"Simon Cowell Pay Raise"

Chicago Tribune--Wednesday, July 29, 2009

American Idol is watched by millions of viewers each year and I saw an article where Simon Cowell is fighting for a $45 million raise. Is he worth all that?  Simon Cowell’s push for a raise was right after host Ryan Seacrest’s new contract and his co-cost Paula Abdul was also seeking a big raise in pay. 

Contracts are not uncommonly raised for the stars that are legions, which make the show and have millions of fans that watch because of them.  If they don’t keep the main three judges around then they are in danger of loosing most of their ratings.  Although ratings have declined in the past few years it is still the most-watched show on television besides the Super Bowl, and it gets the highest ratings from advertisers.  In the most recent season, the program averaged 26.6 million viewers per episode.   Advertisers gave out more than $700,000 for a 30-second commercial, and overall American Idol took almost $850 million in advertising revenue last season, more than any other television show.

With the amount of money generated by American Idol is Simon Cowell justified in the amount he is asking for?  While his contract does not expire until next season, Fox is committed to “American Idol” for another two years so they want to finalize the contract now.  I enjoy his personality.   He makes the show fun and interesting because you never know what he will say and that keeps me watching.  I think his comments are straightforward, and he is the judge people love to hate.  He is needed for the shows popularity and would be difficult to replace.