One Direction pocket nearly £100m in two years

One Direction have made almost £100 million between them in two years, it has been suggested.

The band’s impressive earnings were revealed in a new chapter of Tom Bower’s biography on The X Factor’s head honcho Simon Cowell.

“One Direction were Cowell’s new Westlife – a revival of his mastery of the music business,” Bower writes. “Nothing had been left to chance by Sony Music, with the band’s hit album Up All Night selling over five million copies.

“The songs, publishing, discs, DVDs, merchandising and endorsements brought in huge profits, with the five members of the group together estimated to have earned nearly £100 million ($162 million). Naturally, Sony and Syco raked in much more.”

It is believed that Syco and Sony Music have earned as much as £200 million ($324 million) from One Direction’s commercial success.

One Direction are planning a new world tour next year, with over 100 dates already confirmed, and their second album Take Me Home will be released in November.

A 3D movie featuring the group is also due to be released next year, and they have signed an advertising deal for Pepsi which is believed to be worth £11 million.

Harry Styles was spotted just last week test driving a number of sports cars to add to his collection.