Simon Cowell made $42 million last year through his deal with Sony that created Syco Entertainment, which controls many of Cowell’s entertainment properties, including The X Factor. According to corporate filings, Sony paid $49 million for a 50 percent share in Syco and $42 million of that went to Cowell. That should be good news for Cowell, because despite all the money spent to create it, The X Factor had fairly dismal ratings this season.
