Below you can find the list of the 5 biggest media companies in the world. For detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list, please see the 15 biggest media companies in the world.
5. Tencent Holdings
Revenue: $54.6 B
Market Cap: $509.7 B
Assets: $137 B
Number of employees: 62,885
Country: China
Tencent Holdings offers social networking, music, web portals, e-commerce, console apps, Internet services, payment services, entertainment, artificial intelligence, and technology solutions through its subsidiaries. Although Tencent is not as much a cultural icon in the United States as, for example, the Amazon, it still has a pretty sizable presence in the West. Currently, Tencent owns Riot Games and Supercell, which consumers might identify as the creators of the League of Legends and the Clash of Clans. Tencent is also known for running WeChat, China’s most successful messaging app with more than a billion users.
Pixabay/Publci
4. Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS)
Revenue: $65.39 B
Market cap: $328 B
Assets: $200 B
Number of employees: 223,000
Country: United States
Walt Disney Co. is a diversified global family entertainment and media company. Walt Disney Company is one of the largest companies in the world through market capitalization and is not only a powerful and well-recognized brand but also a profitable one. Originally established as a cartoon studio in 1923, the Walt Disney Company has evolved and diversified to a large extent, with its operating sectors including media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, and consumer products.
Copyright: blanscape / 123RF Stock Photo
3. Sony (NYSE: SNE)
Revenue: $79.2 B
Market Cap: $78.7 B
Assets: $208.3
Number of employees: 114,400
Country: Japan
Sony landed at the 6th spot on our list of the biggest tech companies in the world in 2020. We all know Sony as the manufacturer of PS5, as well as a variety of games and software. Sony is also involved in the production, acquisition, and distribution of motion pictures and television programming and the operation of television and digital networks. Sony distributes electronic products directly to retailers and manufacturers.
We posted an article where Third Point stated why Sony is a good match for your portfolio:
“We invested in Sony in Q1 2019 when shares traded down on market fears that cloud gaming posed a substantial threat to the company’s PlayStation franchise and overall gaming business. While the market saw only risks, we saw an incredible collection of media assets: the world’s largest video game platform, a top-three music label, and a top-five Hollywood film studio. Hidden behind the media empire was an underappreciated, best-in-class semiconductor business. We also saw a capable management team open to improving shareholder value and willing to listen to our suggestions about how the company could reach its full potential.
As is often the case with conglomerates, concerns over a single business impaired total value, giving us the opportunity to purchase shares at a large discount to our view of intrinsic valuation. The rest of 2019 proved excellent for Sony. Fears around cloud gaming were overblown. Sony’s semiconductor business has grown from ~15% of profits to ~25% and analysts expect semis to be a core driver of Sony’s growth going forward. Gaming profits were down only slightly ahead of a major product launch this holiday season, the PS5, after which most analysts expect Sony gaming to return to growth.
While business performance has been stellar, we believe true value maximization at Sony is only beginning. Out of Sony’s four major non-core publicly-listed stakes, the company has divested only one of its smallest, Olympus. Sony has yet to outline a clear strategy for its remaining ~$14 billion in public stakes, largely concentrated between Sony Financial and M3 but has indicated that it will do so. Sony has avoided the topic of portfolio optimization, but we continue to believe that Sony’s media and semiconductors franchises can stand alone and create more value independently than together.”
Copyright: robtek / 123RF Stock Photo
2. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA)
Revenue: $108.7 B
Market value: $171.7 B
Assets: $262.4 B
Number of employees: 190,000
Country: United States
Revenue ranking 2nd in this list of the top 15 largest media companies in the world is Comcast. Comcast Corp. is one of the leading media, entertainment, and communications companies in the world involved in the production of video, internet, and telephone services. Comcast currently operates Xfinity residential cable and over-the-air nationwide broadcast network channels such as NBC, Telemundo, TeleXitos, and Cozi TV.
Copyright: jetcityimage / 123RF Stock Photo
1. AT&T (NYSE: T)
Revenue: $179.2 B
Market value: $204.92 B
Assets: $545.4 B
Number of employees: 246,000
Country: United States
Topping the list of the largest media companies in the world is AT&T. AT&T is the largest media company in the world by revenue, generating a revenue of $179.2 billion. In 2018, AT&T purchased Time Warner Inc. and acquired media properties such as Turner Broadcasting and HBO; Warner Bros. branded film, TV shows, and video game properties; and publishing properties.
