Idol Is TV's Biggest Moneymaker

'Two and a Half Men,' '24' also rake in the bucks
Posted May 9, 2010 12:36 PM CDT
Idol Is TV's Biggest Moneymaker
In this photograph taken by AP Images for VH1, American Idol season eight winner Kris Allen is surrounded by students at the VH1 Save the Music celebration concert with Indianapolis Public School students in Indianapolis, Thursday, May 6, 2010.   (AJ Mast / AP Images for VH1)

TV shows are judged by ratings, but ratings don't always reflect how much cash a show actually brings in. The biggest moneymakers are longstanding hits with broad appeal, Kantar Media found in a survey of TV's most popular programs. The winner, unsurprisingly, is a show that practically defines mass appeal: American Idol, which takes in $8.1 million per 30-minute block, Forbes reports.

Rounding out the top five:

  1. Two and a Half Men, $3.1 million per half-hour
  2. 24, $3 million
  3. Grey's Anatomy, $2.8 million
  4. V, $2.8 million
To see the complete list, click here.

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