Top 10 Best ️‍Media Companies in the World | business

The media industry spans a wide variety of domains – advertising, broadcast and networking, news, print and publishing, digital, recording and cinema – and each has its own associated infrastructure.

Media companies operate in these areas and offer products and services to end-users, from individuals to large organizations. This list of major media companies provides an overview of their business and operations.

• Major media companies are involved in advertising, broadcasting, news, print publishing, digital media, and motion pictures.

• The biggest media companies include Netflix, Disney, and Comcast.

• Consolidation among media companies, such as Disney's partial takeover of Fox and AT&T's purchase of Time Warner, is expanding the offerings and reach of many media giants.

1/ Netflix (NFLX)

Netflix (NFLX)

Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription streaming service and production company. Launched on August 29, 1997, it offers a library of movies and TV series through distribution deals as well as its own productions, known as Netflix Originals.

As of December 31, 2021, Netflix had more than 221.8 million subscribers worldwide, including 75.2 million in the United States and Canada, 74.0 million in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 39, 9 million in Latin America, and 32.7 million in Asia-Pacific. It is available worldwide except for mainland China (due to local restrictions), Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US sanctions). Netflix has played a leading role in the distribution of independent films and is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Netflix can be accessed through an Internet browser on computers or through application software installed on smart TVs, set-top boxes connected to TVs, tablets, smartphones, digital media players, Blu-ray disc players, consoles video games, and virtual reality headsets on the list of devices compatible with Netflix. It is available in 4K resolution. In the United States, the company offers individually-shipped DVD and Blu-ray rentals through the United States Postal Service from regional warehouses.

Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California. Netflix initially sold and rented DVDs by mail, but sales were phased out within a year to focus on the DVD rental business. In 2007, Netflix introduced media streaming and video on demand. The business expanded into Canada in 2010, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean. Netflix entered the content-production industry in 2013, launching its first series House of Cards. In January 2016, it expanded to 130 additional countries and then operated in 190 countries.

The company is ranked 115th on the Fortune 500 and 219th on the Forbes Global 2000. It is the largest entertainment/media company by market capitalization. In 2021, Netflix was ranked the eighth-most trusted brand in the world by Morning Consult. During the 2010s, Netflix was the best performing stock in the S&P 500 stock index, with a total return of 3,693%.

Netflix is ​​headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., in Santa Clara County, with the two CEOs, Hastings and Ted Sarandos, split between Los Gatos and Los Angeles, respectively. It also operates international offices in Asia, Europe, and Latin America, including Canada, France, Brazil, the Netherlands, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. The company has production centers in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, London, Madrid, Vancouver, and Toronto. Compared to other distributors, Netflix pays more for TV shows upfront but retains more of the "plus" (i.e. future revenue opportunities from potential syndication, merchandising, etc.) on the big hits.

In 2020, Netflix received 20 TV nominations and 22 film nominations at the 78th Golden Globe Awards. It earned three of five nominations for Best Drama Television Series for The Crown, Ozark, and Ratched and four of five nominations for Best Actress in a Television Series: Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin, Laura Linney, and Sarah Paulson. Netflix received 30 nominations at the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards, more than any other company, where it won 7 awards, including Best Picture for The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Best TV Series for The Crown.

2/ Walt Disney (DIS)

Walt Disney (DIS)

The Walt Disney Company, commonly just Disney, is an American multinational entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California.

Disney was originally founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney as the "Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio"; it also operated under the names "The Walt Disney Studio" and "Walt Disney Productions" before officially changing its name to The Walt Disney Company in 1986. The company established itself as a leader in the animation industry in America before branching out into live-action films. production, television, and theme parks.

Since the 1980s, Disney has created and acquired corporate divisions in order to market more mature content than that typically associated with its flagship family-oriented brands. The company is known for its motion picture studio division, The Walt Disney Studios, which includes Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and 20th Century Animation, and Searchlight Pictures. Disney's other major business units include television, broadcasting, streaming media, theme parks, consumer products, publishing, and international operations divisions. Through these various segments, Disney owns and operates the ABC broadcast network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic; publishing, merchandising, music, and theater divisions; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Disney+, Star+, ESPN+, Hulu and Hotstar; and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a group of 14 theme parks, resort hotels and cruise lines around the world. The cartoon character Mickey Mouse, created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, is the company's mascot.

The company, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the symbol DIS, has been part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1991. As of August 2020, just under two-thirds of the shares were owned by major financial institutions. 

Disney has appointed Alan Bergman as president of its Disney Studios Content division to oversee its movie studios. In March 2021, Disney announced a new division, 20th Television Animation, which would focus on adult animation.

3/ Comcast Corp (CMCSA)

Comcast Corp (CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings) is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the world's second-largest broadcast and cable television company by revenue (behind AT&T), largest pay-TV company, largest cable television company, and largest Internet service, provider. at home in the United States, and the third-largest in the country. home phone service provider. It provides services to the US residential and commercial customers in 40 states and the District of Columbia. As the parent company of international media company NBCUniversal since 2011, Comcast is a producer of feature films for theatrical release and live and cable television programming.

Comcast owns and operates resident Xfinity; cable communications subsidiary, Comcast Business, a business services provider; Xfinity Mobile, a Verizon MVNO; national live broadcast network channels (NBC, Telemundo, TeleXitos, and Cozi TV); multiple cable-only channels (including MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Syfy, NBCSN, Oxygen, Bravo, Qubo, and E!); the Universal Pictures film studio; the Peacock VOD streaming service; animation studios (DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, Universal Animation Studios) and Universal Parks & Resorts. It also has significant stakes in digital distribution, such as thePlatform, which it acquired in 2006; and ad tech company FreeWheel, which it acquired in 2014. As of October 2018, it is also the parent company of pan-European mass media company Sky Group, making it the largest media company with more than 53 million subscribers in the United States and Europe.

Comcast has been criticized for a variety of reasons. Its customer satisfaction often ranks among the lowest in the cable industry. It has violated net neutrality practices in the past, and despite its commitment to a narrow definition of net neutrality, critics advocate a definition that excludes any distinction between Comcast's private network services and the rest of the Internet. . Critics also point to a lack of competition in the vast majority of Comcast's service areas; in particular, the limited competition between cable operators. Given its bargaining power as a large ISP, some suspect it could leverage paid to peer agreements to unfairly influence end-user connection speeds. Its ownership of both content production (in NBCUniversal) and distribution (as an ISP) has raised antitrust concerns. These and other issues led to Comcast being dubbed "America's Worst Company" by The Consumerist in 2010 and 2014.

On October 19, 2021, Comcast introduced a smart TV platform known as XClass TV. These TVs are made by Hisense along with their Roku TV and Android TV products.

4/ AT&T (ATT)

AT&T (ATT)

AT&T Inc. (originally American Telephone and Telegraph Company) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated in Delaware but headquartered in Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the largest telecommunications company in the world and the largest mobile phone service provider in the United States. In 2020, AT&T was ranked 9th in the Fortune 500 list of the largest American companies, with revenues of 181 billion dollars.

For most of the 20th century, AT&T had a monopoly on telephone service in the United States. The company began its history as the American District Telegraph Company, established in St. Louis in 1878. After expanding its services to Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas through a series of mergers, it became the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1920, then a subsidiary of American Telephone and Telegraph Company. The latter succeeded the original Bell Telephone Company founded by Alexander Graham Bell in 1877. The American Bell Telephone Company formed the subsidiary American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885. In 1899, AT&T became the parent company after the 'American Bell. Telephone Company sold its assets to its subsidiary. The company was renamed AT&T Corp. in 1994. The 1982 United States antitrust lawsuit against AT&T resulted in the divestiture of AT& T's local operating subsidiaries ("My Bell") which were consolidated into seven Bell Regional Operating Companies (RBOCs), commonly referred to as the "Baby Bells", resulting in seven independent companies, including Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC). The latter changed its name to SBC Communications Inc. in 1995.

In 2005, SBC purchased its former parent company AT&T Corp. and assumed its brand, with the merged entity naming itself AT&T Inc. and using its history, a version of its iconic logo, and stock symbol launched on December 30, 2005. AT&T Inc. acquired BellSouth Corporation in 2006, the latest company independent of Baby Bell, making its former joint venture Cingular Wireless (which acquired AT&T Wireless in 2004) wholly owned and renaming it AT&T Mobility. AT&T Inc. also acquired Time Warner in 2016, with the proposed merger confirmed on June 12, 2018, and the goal of making AT&T the majority shareholder of Time Warner and rebranding it as WarnerMedia in 2018.

Today's AT&T reconstructs much of the old Bell System and includes four of the seven "Baby Bells" as well as the AT&T Corp. of origin, including the long-distance division.

On December 21, 2021, AT&T announced that it had agreed to sell Xandr (and AppNexus) to Microsoft for an undisclosed price, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory reviews.

5/ Charter Communications (CHTR)

Charter Communications (CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., is an American telecommunications and mass media company offering services under the Spectrum brand. With more than 26 million customers in 41 states, it is the second-largest cable operator in the United States by a number of subscribers, just behind Comcast, and the third-largest pay-TV operator behind Comcast and AT&T. Charter is the fifth-largest telephone service provider by a number of residential lines.

In late 2012, with longtime Cablevision executive Thomas Rutledge named CEO, Charter moved its headquarters from St. Louis, Missouri, to Stamford, Connecticut, while retaining many of its operations in St. Louis. On May 18, 2016, Charter completed the acquisition of Time Warner Cable and its sister company Bright House Networks, making it the third-largest pay-TV service in the United States. Charter ranked No. 70 in the 2019 Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations by total revenue.

Charter Communications provides service to approximately 25 million people in 41 states with significant coverage in 48 states.

In November 2013, the company announced the rebranding of its residential services to Charter Spectrum, which included an upgrade to an all-digital network for its video, voice, and broadband services. The company relied heavily on a network primarily based on coaxial cables. The new fiber-optic service delivery system offers higher bandwidth speeds than available with its coaxial cable infrastructure.

6/ Sony (SNE)

Sony (SNE)

Sony Group Corporation commonly known as Sony and stylized as SONY is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it is one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional electronics, the largest video game console company, and the largest video game publisher. Thanks, Sony Entertainment Inc, is one of the largest music companies (the largest music publisher and the second-largest record label) and the third-largest film studio, making it one of the most comprehensive media companies. It is the largest technology and media conglomerate in Japan. At the same time, it is also recognized as the most cash-rich Japanese company, with its net cash reserves of 2 trillion yen.

Sony, with its 55% market share in the image sensor market, is the largest manufacturer of image sensors, the second-largest manufacturer of cameras, and is among the leaders in semiconductor sales. It is the world's largest player in the high-end TV market for a TV of at least 55 inches (140 centimeters) with a price above $2,500 as well as the second-largest TV brand in terms of market share. market share and, as of 2020, the third-largest television manufacturer. worldwide by annual sales figures.

Sony Group Corporation is the holding company of Sony Group which includes Sony Corporation, Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Sony Entertainment (Sony Pictures, Sony Music), Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Financial Group, and others.

The company slogan is We are Sony. Their previous slogans were The One and Only (1979–1982), It's a Sony (1981–2005), like.no.other (2005–2009), and make. believe (2009–2013) and Be Moved (2013–2021).

Sony has a weak connection with the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), the successor to the Mitsui keiretsu. Sony is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (where it is part of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indices) with an additional listing in the form of American Certificates of Deposit listed on the New York Stock Exchange (traded since 1970, making it the oldest Japanese company to be listed on a US stock exchange), and was ranked 122nd on the 2020 Fortune Global 500 list.

7/ Thomson Reuters Corporation (TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation (TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation is a Canadian-American multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre.

Thomson Reuters was created through Thomson Corporation's purchase of UK-based Reuters Group in April 2008 and is majority-owned by The Woodbridge Company, a holding company of the Thomson family.

The managing director of the combined company is James C. Smith, who was the managing director of the professional division, and the president is David Thomson.

In 2018, the company was organized around four divisions: Legal, Reuters News Agency, Tax & Accounting, and Government.

Former divisions: Intellectual Property & Science, Financial & Risk, Thomson Healthcare, and Scientific Research & Scholarly.

As of 2018, the Financial & Risk division represents more than half of the company's revenue.

Thomson Reuters competes with Bloomberg L.P., in the aggregation of financial and legal news.

Thomson Reuters subscriptions compete with open access alternatives, accessible through open data and open source aggregators like Unpaywall, which can help counter rising subscription costs (+779% over the period 1995-2015 compared to 58 % for the consumer price index).

8/ ViacomCBS (VIAC)

ViacomCBS (VIAC)

ViacomCBS Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate formed by the merger of the second incarnation of CBS Corporation and the second incarnation of Viacom on December 4, 2019 (which were spun off from the original incarnation of Viacom in 2006) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza complex in Midtown Manhattan, New York, USA. The company operates more than 170 networks and reaches approximately 700 million subscribers in approximately 180 countries, in 2019.

The Company's principal properties include the Paramount Pictures film and television studio, the CBS Entertainment Group (comprising CBS and The CW television networks, television stations, and other CBS-branded assets), national networks ( including US-based cable television networks including, but not limited to, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, and Showtime) and company streaming services (including Paramount+ and Pluto TV ). ViacomCBS also has a dedicated international division that manages the international versions of its networks, as well as regional assets like Telefe in Argentina and a 30% stake in-studio Rainbow S.p.A. in Italy.

On January 5, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS were exploring a possible sale of a controlling stake or all of The CW and that Nexstar Media Group (which became The CW's largest affiliate group when he acquired former WB co-owner Tribune Broadcasting in 2019) was considered a top bidder. The news led to speculation that should a sale take place, a new owner could steer the network in a new direction, transforming The CW from a network aimed at young adults into one with more non-news programming. scripted and even national. However, reports have also indicated that WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS could include a contractual commitment that would require any new owners to purchase new shows from these companies, allowing them to reap continued revenue through the network. Network president/CEO Mark Pedowitz confirmed discussions of a potential sale in a memo to CW staffers, but added that "it's too early to speculate on what might happen" and that the network "must continue to do what we do best".

9/ Fox Corporation (FOX)

Fox Corporation (FOX)

Fox Corporation (stylized in all caps as FOX Corporation) is an American mass media company operated and owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. Incorporated in Delaware, it was formed in 2019 following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company; assets not acquired by Disney were spun off from 21st Century Fox as the new Fox Corp., and its shares began trading on January 1, 2019. The company is owned by the Murdoch family through a family trust with 39.6% participation.

Rupert Murdoch is chairman, while his son Lachlan Murdoch is executive chairman and CEO. Fox Corp. primarily deals with the television, news, and sports broadcasting industries. They include Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports National Operations, and others. His Murdoch-controlled sister company, now News Corp, owns his interests in printing and other media assets.

Fox Corporation began operating separately on March 18, 2019. Chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch led a town hall meeting three days later, indicating that shares would be issued to company employees based on longevity.

In May 2019, through the Fox Sports division, Fox Corporation acquired a 4.99% stake in Canadian online gaming operator The Stars Group for $236 million. As a result, it was also announced that the companies would jointly develop sports betting products for the US market under the Fox Bet brand.

In early July 2019, Fox Entertainment announced the formation of SideCar, with executives led by Gail Berman. SideCar is a content development unit for Fox and other outlets.

In August 2019, Fox Corporation acquired Credible Labs for $397 million and animation studio Bento Box Entertainment for $50 million.

In April 2020, Fox Corporation acquired streaming service Tubi for $440 million.

In September 2021, Fox Corporation acquired TMZ from WarnerMedia in a deal worth approximately $50 million, with TMZ being operated under the Fox Entertainment division.

In December 2021, Fox Corporation announced its acquisition of film and television production studio MarVista Entertainment.

10/ DISH Network Corporation (DISH)

DISH Network Corporation (DISH)

DISH Network Corporation is an American television provider and the owner of direct-to-home satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. Additionally, Dish also offers a mobile wireless service, Dish Wireless. On July 1, 2020, Dish acquired Boost Mobile prepaid service and also intends to add postpaid service in the future. Based in Englewood, Colorado, the company has approximately 16,000 employees.

In 2019, DISH entered into an agreement as part of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger in which DISH would acquire Sprint's prepaid wireless business, including Boost Mobile. Under this agreement, DISH became the 4th largest wireless carrier in the United States. After the Justice Department's approval of the merger, DISH announced plans to "deploy a facility-based 5G broadband network capable of serving 70% of the U.S. population by June 2023."

On July 1, 2020, DISH officially purchased Boost Mobile from T-Mobile for $1.4 billion. With this purchase, he officially launched his wireless business, DISH Wireless, LLC, offering prepaid service through the Boost brand as an MVNO on the T-Mobile network. DISH has declared its intention to offer a branded postpaid service in the future with the construction of its own network. DISH also intends to have the first standalone 5G network only in the United States.

On July 19, 2021, DISH signed a $5 billion contract with AT&T and became a new AT&T MVNO in about two years. As a result, DISH wireless customers will be able to roam on AT&T's 4G and 5G networks while DISH continuously builds its 5G-only network. The previous roaming agreement with T-Mobile remained unchanged.

Conclusion

Media is a diverse field. Many companies in the (media) category also operate businesses that do not necessarily qualify as media, such as software solutions and lobbying services.

Investors looking for investments specifically in media companies should carefully study the various business segments, operating areas, business areas, and corporate structures to ensure that the desired companies match their business profile. investment.