Measuring value per TV viewer
| Name | Show | Salary* | Ratings* | Pay-per-viewer |
| Chelsea Handler | “Chelsea Lately” | $12 | .718 | $16.70 |
| Anderson Cooper | “360” (CNN show only) | $6 | .443 | $13.54 |
| David Letterman | “Late Show” | $31 | 3.2 | $9.69 |
| Jon Stewart | “Daily Show” | $14 | 1.7 | $8.24 |
| Bill O’Reilly | “O’Reilly Factor” | $16 | 2.8 | $5.71 |
| Craig Ferguson | “Late Late Show” | $8.5 | 1.5 | $5.67 |
| Matt Lauer | “Today” | $25 | 4.6 | $5.43 |
| Judith Sheindlin | “Judge Judy” | $45 | 9 | $5.00 |
| Piers Morgan | “Piers Morgan Tonight” | $2 | .49 | $4.08 |
| Maury Povich | “Maury” | $13 | 3.2 | $4.06 |
| Stephen Colbert | “Colbert Report” | $4.5 | 1.2 | $3.75 |
| Jimmy Kimmel | “Jimmy Kimmel Live” | $6 | 1.8 | $3.33 |
| Simon Cowell | “The X Factor” | $40 | 12.6 | $3.17 |
| Ellen DeGeneres | “Ellen” | $5 | 2.9 | $1.72 |
| Tyra Banks | “America’s Next Top Model” | $4 | 2.4 | $1.67 |
| Tina Fey | “30 Rock” | $7.2 | 4.6 | $1.57 |
| Mehmet Oz | “Dr. Oz” | $4 | 3.3 | $1.21 |
| Ashton Kutcher | “Two and a Half Men” | $17 | 14.7 | $1.16 |
| Ryan Seacrest | “American Idol” | $15 | 20 | $0.75 |
| Jennifer Lopez | “American Idol” | $12.5 | 20 | $0.63 |
| Ted Danson | “CSI” | $5 | 12.6 | $0.40 |
| Christina Aguilera | “The Voice” | $2.1 | 12.7 | $0.17 |
| “Snooki” Polizzi | “Jersey Shore” | $1.2 | 7.6 | $0.16 |
| Ty Burrell | “Modern Family” | $1.1 | 13.3 | $0.08 |
* — in millions
Sources: Nielsen (TV ratings); agency and talent management sources, reported figures (salaries).
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