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What are the income areas of Oprah ?
Hello! It is my pleasure to respond to your query in providing you with information on Oprah’s net worth, current annual earnings, and how she has made/makes her considerable fortune.
SHORT ANSWER: Oprah Winfrey is currently worth an estimated $3.1 billion and earned around $82 million in 2016 alone. Although it is not possible to determine the percentages she has made/is making from each avenue, Oprah has made (and makes) her vast fortune through a variety of avenues, including: TV shows and networks; film appearance and executive production; published books; Oprah’s Book Club; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Weight Watchers ownership and representation.
OPRAH’S NET WORTH AND ANNUAL INCOME
In 2007, Reuters reported that Oprah’s annual income that year was an estimated $260 million, which put her at the top of the list for highest paid TV stars. In 2017, PayWizard reports that Oprah’s annual income for 2016 was an estimated $82 million, which is significantly less (though still a very significant number). This drastic change is due to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show, from which she made a significant portion of her earnings, according to TheMotleyFool.
BREAKDOWN OF OPRAH’S EARNINGS
Oprah earned her tremendous net worth in a variety of ways, including those detailed below.
• TV SHOWS & NETWORKS: This includes TV shows and specials like the Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah’s Master Class, Oprah’s Lifeclass, Super Soul Sunday, Oprah: Where Are They Now?, and Oprah Prime. It also includes the 1990s ABC production of the series “Oprah Winfrey Presents”. According to GoBanking, the first season of her Oprah Winfrey Show grossed her about $30 million, with each season after that generating significantly more income. Since the show ran for 25 consecutive seasons, we can estimate that she earned billions from this one endeavor alone. This segment also includes her TV network, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), which launched in 2011. It turned its first profit in 2013 and “is still growing despite initially disappointing ratings,” according to GoBanking. Investopedia notes that this segment also include her official website (oprah.com), and her 24-hour channel on XM Satellite Radio called “Oprah & Friends”.
• FILM APPEARANCES & EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION: This includes a long line of critically-acclaimed movies including The Color Purple, Native Son, and many others, as well as an exclusive film agreement with The Walt Disney Company. She became an Executive Producer on the film “Selma,” which was nominated for a 2015 Academy Award, according to GoBanking.
• PUBLISHED BOOKS: Includes a variety of co-authored book and a memoir titled “The Life You Want” (slated for publication in 2017, so no earnings yet, except the signing bonus).
• OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB: Launched as a segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996, this became its own entity – Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 – after her show ended. Books that were selected by Oprah for this honor shot up the bestseller lists and turned many authors into household names.
• O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE: This launched in 2000, and by 2003, it launched her from millionaire-status to billionaire-status (putting her net worth at $1.1 billion).
• WEIGHT WATCHES OWNERSHIP & REPRESENTATIVE: According to the GazetteReview, Oprah purchased shares in the company in 2015, which caused its stocks to soar. GoBanking reports that, on her “first day of investing in the company, she had already gained $70 million due to stock prices skyrocketing,” largely thought to be the result of her buying into the company.
It is not possible to provide any further details or breakdown of dollar amounts (or percentages) earned through each avenue. As a public figure, there is a lot of available information – in generalities – about how much she makes (or has made) from various avenues, though since we’re talking about a private person’s financial details, no true specifics are publicly-available.
AVENUES FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
If you’re interested in learning more – from the woman’s own words – Oprah’s memoir is scheduled to be released sometime this year. It is called The Life You Want – and should provide more details about how she earned her money – with more detail than can be found publicly at the current time.
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Thank you again for your question, and I hope this information gives you what you need. Please contact Wonder again for any other questions you may have!