Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Ellen DeGeneres has signed a multi-year production deal with Warner Brothers, putting her in a position to broaden her portfolio with other projects a la Oprah. According to Deadline Hollywood, which first reported the news, the deal will allow DeGeneres to develop and executive produce scripted, unscripted and social media fare.
Why is this so important? It means DeGeneres is serious about growing her brand (and her bank account) and is willing to do so without having to front every project. If Oprah’s success has taught the media industry anything, it’s that a star’s stamp of approval can be just as valuable as the star itself. DeGeneres’ recent decision to create a record label featuring other stars was a similar, albeit significantly smaller, step in that direction.
To date, DeGeneres has made a career of being DeGeneres. The good news: audiences seem to love her in that role. The bad: she can’t be everywhere — or in the case of American Idol, doesn’t want to be everywhere, even if it entails massive reach (approximately 25 million weekly viewers) and hefty income (about $10 million a year).
Consider this: For the year ending in June, DeGeneres banked $55 million care of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Idol and endorsement deals with CoverGirl, American Express and newer entry Vitamin Water. The common thread is each of these projects feature DeGeneres. Oprah, by comparison, raked in $315 million during the same period. While the bulk of Oprah’s fortune comes from her longer-running Oprah Winfrey Show, magazine and Website, the self-made billionaire has built a lucrative business from Oprah-sanctioned spin-offs like Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, Dr. Phil and the latest Nate Berkus, none of which require her to be the face of them.
Winfrey’s decision to pull the curtain on her own daytime show in September 2011 –she’ll be launching her cable network, OWN, in January– will leave the landscape wide open for folks like DeGeneres to grow their viewership. Now if DeGeneres can then parlay that TV audience and influence into other projects throughout the day much the way Winfrey has, billionaire status may not be far behind.
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