MUMBAI: Renowned talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has signed a record-breaking $400 million (?200m) eight-year contract to continue to present his talk show on American radio.

According to the New York Times, the new contract with Clear Channel Communications will pay Limbaugh about $38 million a year, apart from a $100 million signing bonus.

The 20-year-old Rush Limbaugh Show reaches an audience of up to 20 million listeners a week and is syndicated on about 600 radio stations across America. The show airs on weekdays for three hours each day. His existing deal, which was worth $285 million over nine years, was due to expire next year.

Credited with pioneering talk radio and almost single-handedly saving AM radio in the US, Limbaugh was hailed by Republicans for providing a media alternative to the networks and CNN, whom they accuse of liberal bias.

Limbaugh is regarded as an enormously influential figure with rank and file Republicans in US elections, while Democrats have accused him of dirty tactics.

During the recent presidential nomination battle, he launched Operation Chaos, a radio campaign to encourage Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton and so prolong the in-fighting among Democrats.