Media conglomerate explained

A media conglomerate, media company, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, video games, theme parks, or the Internet. The weekly magazine The Nation commented, "Media conglomerates strive for policies that facilitate their control of the markets around the world."^[1]

Terminology

A conglomerate is a large company composed of a number of companies (subsidiaries) engaged in generally unrelated businesses.

Some media conglomerates use their access in multiple areas to share various kinds of content such as: news, video and music, between users. The media sector's tendency to consolidate has caused formerly diversified companies to appear less diverse to prospective investors in comparison with similar companies that are traded publicly and privately. Therefore, the term media group may also be applied, however, it has not yet replaced the more traditional term.^[2]

Criticism

See main article: Concentration of media ownership.

Critics have accused the large media conglomerates of dominating the media and using unfair practices. During a protest in November 2007, critics such as Jesse Jackson spoke out against consolidation of the media.^[3] This can be seen in the news industry, where corporations refuse to publicize information that would be harmful to their interests. Because some corporations do not publish any material that criticizes them or their interests, media conglomerates have been criticized for limiting free speech or not protecting free speech.^[4] These practices are also suspected of contributing to the merging of entertainment and news (sensationalism^[5]) at the expense of the coverage of serious issues. They are also accused of being a leading force behind the standardization of culture (see globalization, Americanization) and are frequently criticized by groups that perceive news organizations as being biased toward special interests of the owners.

Because there are fewer independent media, there is less diversity in news and entertainment and therefore less competition. This can result in the reduction of different points of view as well as vocalization about different issues.^[6] There is also a lack of ethnic and gender diversity as a majority of those in media are white, middle-class men.^{[7] [8] [9]} There is a concern that their views are being shared disproportionately more than other groups, such as women and ethnic minorities.^[10] Women and minorities also have less ownership of media. Women have less than 7 percent of TV and radio licenses, and minorities have around 7 percent of radio licenses and 3 percent of TV licenses.^[11]

Examples by country

In the 2024 Forbes Global 2000 list, Comcast is the United States' largest media conglomerate, in terms of revenue, with The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, & Paramount Global completing the top four.^[12]

In 1984, fifty independent media companies owned the majority of media interests within the United States. By 2011, 90% of the United States's media was controlled by six media conglomerates: GE/Comcast (NBC, Universal), News Corp (Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post), Disney (ABC, ESPN, Pixar), Viacom (MTV, BET, Paramount Pictures), Time Warner (CNN, HBO, Warner Bros.), and CBS (Showtime, NFL.com).^{[13] [14]}

Between 1941 and 1975, several laws that restricted channel ownership within radio and television were enacted in order to maintain unbiased and diverse media. However under the Reagan administration, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission, then led by FCC Chairman Mark S. Fowler, began a concerted deregulation over the years 1981 and 1985. The number of television stations a single entity can own increased from seven to 12 stations.

The industry continued to deregulate with enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Signed by President Bill Clinton on 8 February 1996, it was considered by the FCC to be the "first major overhaul of telecommunications law in almost 62 years".^[15] In the radio industry, the 40-station ownership cap was lifted, leading to an unprecedented amount of consolidation. Since this period, IHeartMedia grew from 40 stations to 1200 stations, in all 50 states, while Viacom grew to owning 180 stations across 41 markets.

As media consolidation grew, some in the nation began to speculate how it might negatively impact society at large. In the case of Minot, North Dakota,^[16] the concerns regarding media consolidation is realized. On 18 January 2002, a train containing hazardous chemicals derailed in the middle of the night, exposing countless Minot residents to toxic waste. Upon trying to get out an emergency broadcast, the Minot police were unable to reach anyone. They were instead forwarded to the same automated message, as all the broadcast stations in Minot were single-handedly owned by IHeartMedia. As the FCC reviews media ownership rules, broadcasters continued to petition it for the elimination of all rules, while those who are against this easing would often cite the incident in Minot as how consolidation could be harmful.

Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and New Zealand^[17] also experience the concentration of multiple media enterprises in a few companies. This concentration is an ongoing concern for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission, and New Zealand's Broadcasting Standards Authority. Other countries that have large media conglomerates with impacts on the world include: Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, China, Mexico and Brazil. Media conglomerates outside of the United States include Fujisankei Communications Group (Fuji Television), Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, Hubert Burda Media, ITV, ProSiebenSat.1, Mediaset, Axel Springer, JCDecaux, China Central Television, Alibaba Group, ABS-CBN Corporation, GMA Network, MediaQuest Holdings, Radio Philippines Network, Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Advanced Media Broadcasting System, People's Television Network, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Presidential Broadcast Service, Viva Communications, Prasar Bharati, The Asahi Shimbun, Grupo Televisa, TV Azteca, Grupo Imagen, Grupo Globo, Baidu, GMM Grammy and Bertelsmann.^[18]

United States

	The Walt Disney Company	Comcast	Warner Bros. Discovery	Paramount Global	Access Industries^[19]	Hasbro	Amazon
Movie production	Walt Disney Studios	NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment	Warner Bros. Pictures Group	Paramount Pictures Corporation	AI Film (UK), RatPac-Dune Entertainment (controlling stake^[20]), Access Entertainment (US)	Hasbro Entertainment	Amazon MGM Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
TV production	Disney TV Studios, It's a Laugh Productions, Disney TV Animation, FX Productions, Freeform Studios	Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, DWA Television	WB TV Studios, WB Animation, WBITVP, Cartoon Network Studios, Discovery Studios	Paramount TV Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, CBS Studios	Amedia (majority stake^[21]) (RU)	Hasbro Entertainment	Amazon MGM Studios, MGM Television
Broadcast TV network	ABC, Localish (US); RTL Zwei (15.75% DE), NOW (TR)	NBC, Cozi TV, Sky, Telemundo, TeleXitos	The CW (12.5%), Three (NZ), Eden (NZ), Living (NZ)	CBS, The CW (12.5%), Channel 5 (UK), Telefe (AR), Network 10 (AU), Chilevisión (CL)	RGE Group (33%^[22]) (IL)
Cable channels	Disney Channels, UTV net, A&E Networks (50%), Fox Nets Group, Freeform, FX Networks, NatGeo Net (73%)	NBCUniversal Cable, Sky	TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, HBO, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, Discovery Family (60%), Warner Bros. Discovery International	Paramount Media Networks, Paramount International Networks, BET Media Group		Discovery Family (40%)	MGM+
News, business channels/ operations	ABC News, ABC News Radio	NBCUniversal News Group, Sky News	CNN, HLN	CBS News, CBS News streaming service
National sports networks/ operations	ESPN Inc. (80%)	NBC Sports Group, Sky Sports, NHL Network (15.6%)	TNT Sports, MLB Network (16%), NBA TV, Eurosport (Europe), DSport (India), Play Sports Group (71%, U.K.)	CBS Sports	Sports Channel (IL)
Audio industry	ABC Audio, Disney Music Group, Marvel New Media, Radio Disney Networks	Back Lot Music	WaterTower Music, Williams Street Records	Paramount Music	Warner Music Group
Publishing	Marvel Comics, National Geographic (73%), Disney Publishing Worldwide		DC Comics, MAD Magazine, Golf Digest, Golf World; Motor Trend Group (joint-venture)				Amazon Publishing, Kindle Direct Publishing
OTT	Disney+ ;,, Hulu, ESPN+, Marvel Unlimited (Comics)	Peacock, Now, Sky Go, Xumo	Max, Boomerang, DC Universe Infinite (Comics), Discovery+, GolfTV	Paramount+, Pluto TV, BET+, Noggin, Showtime	DAZN (85%^[23] ^[24])		Amazon Prime Video, Freevee, Amazon Music, Twitch (Gaming), ComiXology (Comics)
Internet		Fandango (70%)	Rooster Teeth, Fandango (30%)	MTV New Media	Deezer		Box Office Mojo, IMDb
Telecommunications		Xfinity, Sky Broadband			ICE Group
Video games	Disney Games and Interactive Experiences, Marvel Games, Lucasfilm Games	Universal Brand Development	Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Rooster Teeth Games, Adult Swim Games	Paramount Digital Entertainment		Archetype Entertainment, Invoke Studios	Amazon Games, Amazon Digital Game Store
Total Revenues	US$88.9Billion (2023)	NBCUniversal US$39.2 billion (2022)	US$33.8 billion (2022)^[25]	US$30.15 billion (2022)	US$17 Billion	US$4.7 Billion^[26]

International

	Sony (Japan)	Bertelsmann (Germany)	Vivendi (France)	Liberty Global (UK/US/NL)	Essel Group (India)	CT Corp (Indonesia)	Televisa (Mexico)	Grupo Globo (Brazil)	TV Azteca (Mexico)	Grupo Imagen (Mexico)	ABS-CBN Corporation (Philippines)	The Times Group (India)	PLDT (Philippines)	Viva Communications (Philippines)	GMA Network (Philippines)	GMM Grammy (Thailand)	MBC Media Group (Philippines)
Movie production	Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, PlayStation Productions, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (Japan)	UFA	StudioCanal (FR)	Lionsgate Films (US, 3.5%)	Zee Studios	Transinema Pictures	Videocine	Globo Filmes	Azteca Cinema		Star Cinema	Mirchi Movies Limited, Junglee Pictures Limited	Cignal Entertainment	Viva Films	GMA Pictures	GDH 559
TV production	Sony Pictures Television (US)	Fremantle (UK)	Red Production Company (UK), TANDEM Productions (GR)	All3Media (UK, 50%), Lionsgate Television (US, 3.5%)	Essel Vision Productions			Estúdios Globo	Azteca Estudios		ABS-CBN Studios, Dreamscape Entertainment, Star Creatives Television, RCD Narratives, RGE Drama Unit, RSB Scripted Format	Metropolitan Media Company Limited		Viva Television	GMA Entertainment Group	GMMTV, GMM Bravo	MBC TV
Broadcast TV network	Get (US)	Buzzr (US) RTL Group (LU)	Canal+ Group	Telenet (BE, 58%), Ziggo (NL, 50%), ITV plc (UK, minority), Virgin Media Television (IRL)	Zee Media Corporation, Zee Entertainment Enterprises	Trans TV, Trans7	Las Estrellas, Canal 5, Canal 9, FOROtv	TV Globo	Azteca 7, Azteca Uno, ADN 40, A Más	Imagen Televisión	ABS-CBN (content provider), A2Z (blocktime with ZOE Broadcasting Network), TV5 (entertainment production partner), Knowledge Channel, PIE (co-owned with BEAM TV), GMA (entertainment production partner)	Times Global Broadcasting and Zoom Entertainment Network	TV5, RPTV (50%)	TV5 (entertainment production partner)	GMA, GTV, Heart of Asia Channel, I Heart Movies, Hallypop (under Jungo TV), Pinoy Hits	GMM 25, One 31
Cable channels	Sony Pictures Television Networks						Televisa Networks	Canais Globo, Globo Internacional	TV Azteca Internacional TV de Paga		Kapamilya Channel, Cine Mo!, Creative Programs, ABS-CBN Global Ltd.	Times Music, Movies Now, Romedy Now	PBA Rush, Sari-Sari Channel (50%), Pilipinas Global Network Ltd.	PBO, Viva Cinema, Sari-Sari Channel (50%), TMC: Tagalized Movie Channel, History, Crime & Investigation Network, Lifetime, Celestial Movies Pinoy	GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV, GMA News TV	GMM Z
News, business channels/ operations			CNews		Zee News	CNN Indonesia (franchise), CNBC Indonesia (franchise)	Noticieros Televisa	GloboNews	Azteca Noticias	Excélsior TV	ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, ABS-CBN News Channel, TeleRadyo Serbisyo (co-owned with Prime Media Holdings)	ET Now, Lead India, Mirror Now, Times Now	News5, One News, One PH		GMA Integrated News, GMA Public Affairs		DZRH News Television
National sports networks/ operations		Sports Channel (IL)	Canal Sport	Ziggo Sport (NL, 50%)		Golf Channel Indonesia (JV), Golf+	Televisa Deportes, TUDN	SporTV	Azteca Deportes				One Sports, One Sports (TV channel), One Sports+		GMA Sports
Audio industry	Sony Music Group (US), EMI Music Publishing (UK), Sony Music Entertainment Japan (Japan)	BMG			Zee Music Company	Trans Talent Management		Som Livre (former)		Imagen Radio	MOR Entertainment, MyxRadio, Star Music, One Music PH, DWPM (co-owned with Prime Media Holdings)	Zoom, Radio Mirchi	Radyo5	Viva Records, Halo-Halo Radio, Vicor Music, Ivory Music and Video	GMA Music, GMA Playlist, AltG Records, Super Radyo, Barangay FM	Chill FM Online, EFM 94, Green Wave 106.5 FM, Hot 91.5	DZRH, Love Radio, Easy Rock Network, Yes FM, Aksyon Radyo, Radyo Natin
Publishing		Gruner + Jahr, Penguin Random House (US, UK 53%), Bertelsmann Printing Group	Prisma Press, Editis				Editorial Televisa, Intermex	Editora Globo		Excélsior	ABS-CBN Publishing	The Times of India, The Economic Times, Navbharat Times, The Illustrated Weekly of India	The Philippine Star (51%), BusinessWorld (70%)	Viva Books Publishing Inc.		Image, Madame Figaro Magazine, In Magazine
OTT	Crunchyroll, Funimation	Videoland (Netherlands)			ZEE5		VIX	Globoplay			iWantTFC	Gaana, MX Player	Cignal Play	Vivamax	GMA On Demand
Internet			Dailymotion		playwin	detik Network	Comercio Más, Televisa Digital, Televisa Interactive Media	Globo.com	Azteca Internet	Imagen Digital	ABS-CBN Digital Media, Kapamilya Online Live, ABS-CBNnews.com	BoxTV.com, CricBuzz, TimesJobs, SimplyMarry, MagicBricks, ZigWheels			GMA New Media, GMANetwork.com, Kapuso Stream, GMA News Online		MBC Digital
Telecommunications	Sony Mobile, So-net			UPC Broadband (Europe), Virgin Media (UK), Telenet (Belgium) (58%), Vodafone Netherlands (50%)			Izzi Telecom and Sky Mexico				ABS-CBN Convergence (68%), Sky Cable Corporation (59.4%)		PLDT, Smart, TNT, Cignal TV
Video games	Sony Interactive Entertainment, Unties		Gameloft								ABS-CBN Digital Media				GMA New Media		MBC Digital
2023 Revenues	Sony Entertainment ^[27] ^[28] ^[29]					Trans Corp	^[30]					(2016)^[31]

See also

• Media imperialism
• Media proprietor
• State media
• Multinational corporation
• Lists of corporate assets

Notes and References

1. Moglen. Eben . Michael. Pertschuck . Scott. Sherman . 1999 . Editorials . . 269 . 18 . 12 . 0027-8378.
2. Web site: A distinction between Business Groups and Conglomerates:The Limited Liability Effect . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160216021348/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228419679_A_Distinction_between_Business_Groups_and_Conglomerates_The_Limited_Liability_Effect . 16 February 2016. SSRN Electronic Journal 01/2009; DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.134299 . 1 January 2009 . 16 February 2016.
3. News: 1 November 2007. Critics Turn Out To Protest Media Consolidation. The Washington Post and Times-Herald. 5 August 2018. 0190-8286. 12 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190112221009/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/31/AR2007103102915.html. live.
4. Stoll. Mary Lyn. June 2006 . Infotainment and the Moral Obligations of the Multimedia Conglomerate . Journal of Business Ethics . 66 . 2–3 . 253–260 . 10.1007/s10551-005-5590-2 . 153666046.
5. Kenix. Linda Jean. Independent Websites Not So Different from Group-Owned. Newspaper Research Journal. 35. 2.
6. Web site: Shah. Anup. Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership. Global Issues. 10 November 2017. 7 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181007081942/http://www.globalissues.org/article/159/media-conglomerates-mergers-concentration-of-ownership. live.
7. Web site: Diversity in Media Ownership . Free Press . en . 27 September 2022 . 27 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927102619/https://www.freepress.net/issues/media-control/diversity-media-ownership . live .
8. Web site: The Abysmal State of Media Ownership Diversity in America . The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights . en . 27 September 2022 . 27 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927102618/https://civilrights.org/blog/the-abysmal-state-of-media-ownership-diversity-in-america/ . live .
9. Web site: Beresteanu . Arie . Ellickson . Paul B. . Minority and Female Ownership in Media Enterprises . docs.fcc.gov . 12 June 2007 . 22 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190122200610/https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-07-3470A8.pdf . live .
10. Gamson . Joshua . Latteier . Pearl . Joshua Gamson . Do media monsters devour diversity? . . Summer 2004 . 3 . 3 . 26–32 . Studies routinely find that the individuals appearing in mass media are disproportionately white, middle-class men between the ages of 20 and 60. ... the rapid consolidation of deregulated media companies makes it even less likely that companies and stations will be minority-owned today. . March 9, 2022 . . 10.1525/ctx.2004.3.3.26 . 62715815 . free . 9 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220309033650/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/ctx.2004.3.3.26#page=5 . live . free .
11. Web site: Diversity in Media Ownership. 6 November 2017. Free Press. 22 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171122115017/https://www.freepress.net/diversity-media-ownership. dead.
12. Web site: Kochkodin . Brandon . The World’s Largest Media Companies 2024: Disney, Charter Communications And Warner Bros. Discovery All Fall . Forbes . 13 June 2024 . en.
13. News: Lutz . Ashley . 14 June 2012 . These 6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America . Business Insider . 2 June 2020 . 11 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200911210201/https://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6 . live .
14. Web site: Timeline . Moyers on America . PBS . 2006 . 27 October 2017 . 16 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171216062315/http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/timeline.html . live .
15. Web site: Telecommunications Act of 1986. Federal Communications Commission. 20 June 2013. FCC. 27 October 2017. 6 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181206014337/https://www.fcc.gov/general/telecommunications-act-1996. live.
16. News: Fisher. Marc. Sounds Familiar for a Reason. The Washington Post. 27 October 2017. 19 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171119203414/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2003/05/18/sounds-familiar-for-a-reason/d8b48d41-422c-4efe-a697-82c0bf07bde8/. live.
17. Hope. Wayne. Myllylahti. Merja. Financialisation of Media Ownership in New Zealand. New Zealand Sociology. 28. 3.
18. Web site: O'Reilly. Lara. The 30 Biggest Media Companies in the World. Business Insider. 10 November 2017. 1 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160601121131/http://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-biggest-media-owners-in-the-world-2016-5/#30-time-inc--287-billion-in-media-revenue-1. live.
19. Web site: Holdings by Industry . AccessIndustries.com . Access Industries . 27 June 2019 . 27 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190627132722/https://www.accessindustries.com/industry/ . dead .
20. News: Hipes . Patrick . Len Blavatnik's Access Acquires RatPac Entertainment Stake . Deadline . 18 April 2017 . en . 3 July 2019 . 23 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170423082640/http://deadline.com/2017/04/len-blavatnik-ratpac-entertainment-stake-brett-ratner-1202071393/ . live .
21. Web site: Amedia. Access Industries. 3 July 2019. 23 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171223042555/https://www.accessindustries.com/holdings/amedia/. dead.
22. News: Blavatnik Increases Stake in RGE Media Group . Haaretz . 30 April 2010 . en . 3 July 2019 . 3 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190703033007/https://www.haaretz.com/1.5113943 . live .
23. News: Williams . Christopher . Blavatnik's Perform Group rebuffs tech investors to build 'Netflix for sport' . The Telegraph . 20 August 2016 . 3 July 2019 . 13 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171213035629/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/08/20/blavatniks-perform-group-rebuffs-tech-investors-to-build-netflix/ . live .
24. Web site: Perform Access Industries . 3 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190627132825/https://www.accessindustries.com/holdings/perform/ . 27 June 2019 . dead .
25. Web site: Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Reports Fourth-Quarter 2022 Earnings Results. Warner Bros. Discovery. February 23, 2023. February 23, 2023. February 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230223211350/https://s201.q4cdn.com/336605034/files/doc_financials/2022/q4/WBD-4Q22-Earnings-Release-Final-02.23.23.pdf. live.
26. Web site: Hasbro's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding and Acquisitions. owler.com. 2 September 2019. 28 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328203623/https://www.owler.com/company/hasbro. live.
27. Web site: Sony Pictures's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding and Acquisitions. owler.com. 29 March 2019. 28 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328215121/https://www.owler.com/company/sonypictures. live.
28. Web site: Sony/ATV's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding and Acquisitions. owler.com. 5 May 2019. 5 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190505220331/https://www.owler.com/company/sonyatv. live.
29. Web site: Sony Music's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding and Acquisitions. owler.com. 5 May 2019. 5 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190505220332/https://www.owler.com/company/sonymusic. live.
30. Web site: Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. (TV). finance.yahoo.com. 14 June 2018. 14 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180614121749/https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TV/financials?p=TV. live.
31. News: The BCCL empire—towering over the competition. www.thehoot.org/. 27 July 2018. 24 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180824202232/http://thehoot.org/media-watch/media-business/the-bccl-empiretowering-over-the-competition-10255. live.