US judge Judy Sheindlin has been named as the highest paid TV host.

Forbes magazine puts her wealth at US$147m (€129.5m) last year.

The sharp-talking daytime judge takes the top spot thanks to her deal-making skills.

She sold the rights to her her 5,200-episode 'Judge Judy' library, and is also continuing to make episodes.

And the big numbers are backed up by a bigger viewership: her show consistently has more than 10 million people watching daily.

Sheindlin (76) is also the producer behind 'Hot Bench' - a panel-based court show.

The judge has sold the complete library rights to her long-running syndicated show to CBS, where it currently airs in the US.

The 2017 deal also extended her contract to cover a 25th season.

It was reportedly struck for around US$100m (€88.1m).

Speaking about salary in May this year, Sheindlin told NBC: "Women are afraid to ask for a raise - they don't recognise their worth.

"A man will go in and say 'you know what, I've been here two years and I think it's time you gave me a raise'.

"And they'll either say yay or nay.

"A woman will go in and say 'you know, I hate to bother you, but I've been here a long time and it would rally be nice - the fellow next door does the same job that I do, he gets paid more'".

"In order to negotiate your own worth you have to make yourself indispensable - and that doesn't mean you have to be a television personality to make yourself indispensable.

"You can be an assistant to a physician and make yourself indispensable.

"I know doctors who've retired when their assistants retired - they say 'we can't do this alone' - that makes you indispensable.

"Once you're indispensable, you set your own rules".

Others on the highest paid list include 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest, life coach Dr Phil McGraw and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.