The World’s Top Media Companies

The media trade covers all kinds of areas—promoting, broadcasting and networking, information, print and publication, digital, recording, and movement photos—and every has its personal related infrastructure.

Media corporations function inside these areas and provide services and products to end-users from people to massive organizations. This checklist of the highest media corporations offers a glance into their companies and operations. It’s ranked in descending order of market capitalization as of April 12, 2022.

1. Apple (AAPL): $2.74 Trillion

Based in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple has a market cap of $2.74 trillion, far surpassing these of its rivals. After including streaming and information media providers to its portfolio, the corporate shifted from being a tech firm to being a hybrid of tech and media.

Recognized for its refined Apple merchandise, Apple can be recognized for its greater than 100 acquisitions. In 2014, the corporate acquired Beats, previously often called Beat by Dre, for $3 billion, and in 2018, it acquired the song-identification app Shazam for $400 million.

Its media providers line contains Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Books, Apple Information, and extra. As of March 2022, the corporate has greater than 25 million Apple TV Plus paid subscribers.

On the finish of 2021, Apple recorded a 33.3% improve in internet gross sales, $365 billion.

2. Walt Disney (DIS): $238.21 Billion

Disney (DIS) has a $238 billion market cap, producing nearly $67.42 billion in revenues over the trailing 12 months (TTM). Disney, based in 1923 and headquartered in Burbank, Calif., is a big media and leisure group with a number of subsidiaries and a world presence.

In November 2019, Disney launched Disney Plus, a streaming service that gives reveals and flicks, together with classic Disney content material, originals, unique reveals, and blockbuster movies.

Disney’s 4 segments cowl the next:

• Media networks: all the pieces inside TV, radio, and cable networks and associated operations
• Parks and resorts: theme parks, accommodations, resorts, sports activities complicated, eating and leisure amenities, and water sports activities institutions
• Studio leisure: live-action and animated photos for distribution within the U.S. by means of subsidiaries and worldwide by means of accomplice corporations
• Shopper merchandise and interactive media: on-line and cellular video games and gaming consoles; licensing and retailing of commerce names, characters, and properties, plus academic books and magazines

3. Comcast (CMCSA): $213.75 Billion

Established in 1963 with headquarters in Philadelphia, Pa., Comcast is without doubt one of the largest international media, leisure, and communications corporations with a $213.75 billion market cap and producing over $116.39 million in revenues over the TTM. Its enterprise is run by means of 5 segments:

• Cable communications: Comcast Cable wi-fi, video, high-speed Web, and voice providers
• Media: NBCUniversal’s nationwide, regional, sports activities, information, worldwide cable tv networks
• Studio: NBCUniversal’s movie and tv studio manufacturing and operations
• Theme parks: Common theme parks within the U.S., Japan, and China
• Sky: European video, high-speed web, voice, and wi-fi telephone providers

4. Netflix (NFLX): $152.77 Billion

Netflix has exploded onto the media scene over the past decade. Based in 1997, the corporate has transferred itself from a DVD-by-mail enterprise right into a streaming large. The corporate had 222 million subscribers as of the tip of 2021.

Nearly all of Netflix’s revenues come from membership charges from streaming clients. Specifically, Netflix generated $29.52 billion in streaming income in 2021. Nevertheless, it additionally generated $182 million in income from its DVD rental enterprise.

5. AT&T (T): $140.11 Billion

By means of the completion of its $101 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc. in 2018, AT&T gained added the likes of Turner Broadcasting and HBO to its media choices, in addition to TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Community, and related web sites like CNN.com. It additionally added movement photos, TV reveals, and video video games below the Warner Bros. model.

In 2015, it acquired DirecTV and added to its U.S. and Latin American media operations. DirecTV is a digital TV leisure service supplier by way of a satellite tv for pc community.

For 2021, AT&T reported revenues of $168.86 billion, with $35.6 billion earned by WarnerMedia and $15.5 billion from video.

6. Sony (SONY): $114.10 Billion

Sony is primarily often called an electronics and music large, but it surely additionally has different media properties. Its key segments embody sport and community providers, music, photos, and electronics merchandise and options.

As of the fiscal yr ended March 31, 2021, Sony generated $9 billion in income. The images section contains its movement photos, tv productions, and media networks.

For 9 months previous to December 31, 2021, Sony reported revenues of seven.66 trillion yen, or $60.76 billion.

7. Constitution Communications (CHTR): $105.15 Billion

Constitution Communications acquired Time Warner Cable in 2015 for $87.4 billion, giving it a big media presence. Time Warner Cable Inc. included a large portfolio of services and products. It added offers video, high-speed information, and voice providers within the U.S. to Constitution Communications’ operations. The corporate operates below the Spectrum title, boasting 32 million clients and a market cap of $105.15 billion.

In 2021, it reported revenues of $51.68 billion, a 7.5% improve from the prior yr.

8. Thomson Reuters (TRI): $51.84 Billion 

Thomson Reuters, the Canada-based media firm, has 5 segments: authorized professionals, corporates, tax and accounting professionals, Reuters information, and international print. The Reuters information enterprise provides monetary information by way of media organizations. Thomson Reuters competes with the likes of Bloomberg L.P.

For 2021, Thomson Reuters reported annual revenues of $6.35 billion, a 6% improve from 2020. The place authorized professionals contributed the majority of revenues at $2.71 billion, Reuters Information introduced in a wholesome $674 million.

9. Paramount World (PARA): $23.49 Billion

In 2019, Viacom and CBS merged to kind ViacomCBS, and in February 2022, its title modified to Paramount World. Established in 2005 in New York, the corporate offers leisure content material for a world viewers by means of digital (on-line and cellular), movie, and tv. Widespread manufacturers embody Nickelodeon, TeenNick, Comedy Central, and Spike TV.

Paramount World now additionally operates gaming companies by means of web sites like AddictingGames.com and Shockwave.com. Its filmed leisure enterprise contains model names like Paramount Photos, MTV Movies, Nickelodeon, and many others.

The CBS belongings function throughout radio, print, and tv, in addition to promoting providers, together with the possession and administration of advert areas like billboards, transit paths, benches, trains, and buses.

In 2021, the corporate operated three segments, TV Leisure, Cable Networks, and Filmed Leisure, and reported revenues of $28.59 billion.

10. Fox (FOX): $21.06 Billion

Fox was beforehand a powerhouse within the media enterprise. Its $21.06 billion market cap is now a fraction of what it was. In 2017, it offered its leisure enterprise to Disney for $71 billion. This included its twentieth Century Fox tv and movie studios, in addition to a 30% stake in Hulu and U.S. cable channels, resembling FX.

Now Fox Company operates as a slimmed-down media firm, which incorporates the Fox Information Channel, Fox Enterprise, Large Ten Networks, and Fox Broadcasting Firm, in addition to different choose belongings.

Within the fourth quarter of 2021, Fox acknowledged revenues of $4.44 billion, an 8.7% improve from the prior yr.

The Backside Line

Media is a various discipline. Many corporations within the “media” class additionally function companies that will not essentially qualify as media, resembling software program options and lobbying providers.

Traders searching for investments particularly in media corporations ought to fastidiously examine the completely different enterprise segments, operational areas, enterprise domains, and company constructions to make sure the specified corporations match into their funding profile.