august 4, 2017 forbes india | 67- Rihanna
MusiciAn barbadoS $36 mln - Bon Jovi
MusiciAns US $35.5 mln - Akshay Kumar
Actor IndIa $35.5 mln - Billy Joel
MusiciAn US $35 mln - Dr. Dre
MusiciAn US $34.5 mln - Florida Georgia Line
MusiciAns US $34.5 mln - Toby Keith
MusiciAn US $34.5 mln - Jordan Spieth
Athlete US $34.5 mln - Derrick Rose
Athlete US $34.3 mln - Usain Bolt
Athlete JamaIca $34.2 mln
The fastest man in the world’s Olym-
pic career appears to be over: He’ll
formally retire after this year’s World
Championships. But so far, brands
including Mumm, Advil and Sprint are
still showering him in cash. - Gareth Bale
Athlete UK $34 mln - Conor McGregor
Athlete Ireland $34 mln - Britney Spears
MusiciAn US $34 mln - Kei Nishikori
Athlete Japan $33.9 mln - Fletcher Cox
Athlete US $33.4 mln - Clayton Kershaw
Athlete US $33.3 mln - Chance The Rapper
MusiciAn US $33 mln - Katy Perry
MusiciAn US $33 mln - Carmelo Anthony
Athlete US $32.6 mln - Jason Aldean
MusiciAn US $32.5 mln - Kevin Hart
coMediAn US $32.5 mln - Zlatan Ibrahimović
Athlete Sweden $32 mln
Even for DeGeneres, traditional media
and licensing deals still account for the
bulk of earnings—about 90 percent of her
$77 million tally in the past 12 months—
as The Ellen DeGeneres Show regularly
garners more than 3 million viewers.
But over the past decade, she’s
positioned herself to cash in as the ratio
shifts. She understands that different
mediums call for different programming.
Her videos are short and fun, built for
virality and mobile consumption, to the
tune of 700 million views per month.
They tap into young talent, from
YouTube star Tyler Oakley to a five-
year-old whom DeGeneres made
famous on her television show.
They’re heavy on brand integration
(PetSmart-sponsored Ellen’s Pet Dish).
And unlike billionaire Oprah Winfrey,
DeGeneres doesn’t have to deal with
the logistical headaches of running
a full-fledged television network.
Still, DeGeneres and the others aren’t
putting all their eggs in one digital basket.
YouTube has invested in exclusive series
featuring Hart and DeGeneres that will
premiere soon, and the subscription
service YouTube Red has ordered a series
from Johnson’s production company.
DeGeneres just agreed to a deal with
Netflix for her first stand-up special in
15 years, which insiders say will come
with a paycheck of at least $17 million.
“If Ellentube is a flop one day but it
makes her brand stronger, she can still
monetise all these other platforms,”
Klein says. “If Ellentube is a great
success, she may never have to worry
about any other platform.”
MethodoloGy
About the list: The Celebrity 100 ranks ‘front of camera’
entertainers around the world by pretax earnings from
June 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017, before deducting fees for
agents, lawyers and managers. Our numbers are based
on figures from IMDB, Nielsen and Pollstar, as well as
interviews with industry experts and many of the
stars themselves.
Edited by: Zack O’Malley Greenburg and Natalie
Robehmed.
Reported by: Kurt Badenhausen, Madeline Berg, Hayley
Cuccinello, Rebecca Lerner, Maggie McGrath and
Susan Radlauer. Online: Sarah Rempe and Forbes Video.
ellen DegeneRes: chRis
TopheR polk / geTTY images; mike segaR / ReuTeRs