Proud moments again for Bollywood Priyanka Chopra, with earnings of ₹65 crore ($10 million), has ranked eighth on the list of the ‘World’s Highest-Paid TV Actresses 2017’ by Forbes. Priyanka, who starred in the American series ‘Quantico’, featured on the list for the first time in 2016. Meanwhile, ‘Modern Family’ actress Sofia Vergara has topped the list with earnings of $41.5 million.
Forbes on Tuesday released their list of the highest paid TV actresses in the world, between June 1, 2016 to June 1, 2017. Modern Family star Sofia Vergara leads the pack with earnings of over $41.5 million (Rs 271 crore), topping the list for the sixth consecutive year , while Priyanka Chopra came in at number 8. She made $10 million, or Rs 65 crore, in the same period.
Chopra appeared on the list for the first time in 2016, powered by her ABC show Quantico. In 2017, she appeared in the second season of the show as well as Baywatch movie, which co-starred Dwayne Johnson. In 2016, she had earned $11 million. The Bollywood star also endorses a range of products and Forbes called it Chopra’s “most consistent money-maker”.
Vergara’s keen business acumen is reported to have been played a major role in her success. Only a quarter of her $41.5 million came from her show. The rest comes from endorsement deals from brands such as Head & Shoulders, Pepsi and CoverGirl, and from smartly focusing on licensing deals, which allow her a certain amount of control over her products.
This has been listed as the biggest reason her earning are over $15 million ahead of the number 2 on the list, Big Bang Theory star, Kaley Cuoco, who made $26 million (Rs 170 crore) during the same period.
Vergara jumped from $28 million in 2015, to $43 million in 2016, both figures were enough for top spots on the respective lists.
“Combined, the world’s 10 highest-paid TV actresses made $156.5 million between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017,” reported Forbes.
All but two of the stars on the list come from network TV, which is more lucrative than its cable counterpart. Salaries can exceed $1 million per episode on shows like the Big Bang Theory, while HBO’s Big Little Lies doles out salaries in the range of $350,000 per episode.
Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, and Mindy Kaling, star of the Mindy Project tied for third place with $13 million (Rs 85 crore) apiece. Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: SVU) came in at number 5, with $12.5 million (Rs 81.7 crore), followed by Vergara’s Modern Family co-star, Julie Bowen ($12 million, Rs 78 crore), and at number 7, Kerry Washington ($11 million, Rs 71 crore).
Priyanka Chopra, and her previously reported $10 million haul, was enough to score a number 8 spot on the list. It also made her the seventh highest-paid Bollywood star during the same period.