Big media companies have been around for decades, and have arguably become even more dominant over time. In recent years, the media landscape has shifted dramatically due to streaming video, digital downloads, and platform franchises. This change has also put media giants in a powerful position, able to make or break the success of television shows, films, and other forms of entertainment.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the world’s most successful media companies. We’ll explore their current holdings, revenues, and how they stack up against the competition. If you’re interested in which companies are dominating the media landscape, this is the article for you.
The Biggest Media Companies In The World
The world’s top media companies come from a variety of backgrounds, hailing from different countries and operating in different sectors. To make things a bit easier, we’ve broken them down into the seven biggest media companies in the world, along with their respective revenues (in millions of US Dollars) as reported by Statista (as of 2020).
1. The Walt Disney Company – $69,570
Disney is, without a doubt, one of the world’s largest media companies. It owns the Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox studios, as well as ABC, ESPN, and dozens of other TV, radio and online businesses. Disney is famous for its films, theme parks, cruise lines, television channels and merchandise.
2. Comcast – $52,770
Comcast is an American telecommunications conglomerate and one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the world. It owns the NBCUniversal network of TV and film production companies, including Universal Pictures, NBC, DreamWorks Animation, USA Network, and the Universal theme parks.
3. AT&T – $41,750
AT&T is an American telecommunications conglomerate, which is also one of the biggest media companies in the world. It owns DirecTV, WarnerMedia, and Turner—all of which have deep portfolios of television, film, and streaming video businesses and products. AT&T also owns the Xandr advertising platform, which was formerly known as AT&T AdWorks.
4. Fox Corporation – $14,780
Fox Corporation is the parent company of the Fox network of television channels, which includes Fox News and Fox Sports. It also owns a variety of other media production and broadcasting entities, including National Geographic and MyNetworkTV.
5. ViacomCBS – $14,260
ViacomCBS is a multinational media conglomerate which was formed in 2020 due to the merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom. ViacomCBS is the owner of the CBS network of television stations, Paramount Pictures and other media companies.
6. Sony – $14,080
Sony is, of course, world-renowned for its consumer electronics, but it’s also a major player in the media industry. Its holdings in the sector include the Sony Pictures movie studio, Sony Music and Columbia Records, Funimation, and PlayStation Network.
7. The Discovery Network – $9,680
Discovery is a multinational media company with holdings in the entertainment, lifestyle, news, and educational content sectors. Its networks include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Food Network, and The Learning Channel, as well as Discovery+, DreamWorks TV, Magnolia Network, and many others.
Differences between Big Media Companies
A closer look at the seven media giants shows us that there can be a lot of overlap between them, but each has its own unique strengths. Some of the main ways in which these companies are different are:
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Content Type: Each of the media giants has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of the content it produces. While some are best known for their feature films and television series, others are leaders in animation, streaming video, or edutainment.
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Global Reach: The reach of each giant can vary based on its primary geographic markets. For example, while Disney is known around the world, Comcast and AT&T are more focused on the US.
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Scale: The size of each media company also varies, both in terms of capital and operating income. Disney, Comcast, and AT&T are much larger than the other four, while Fox Corporation, ViacomCBS and Sony are more comparable in size.
The world’s biggest media companies have a great deal of influence in the entertainment industry. Their holdings range from television and streaming to feature films and theme parks. They differ quite a bit in terms of content type, global reach, and size, but all seven of these companies prove that size doesn’t always matter when it comes to making an impact. So, if you’re looking for a way to keep up with the changing media landscape, take a closer look at the biggest media companies in the world.
