In this article, we will discuss the 5 richest media owners in the world. If you want to read our detailed analysis of the media and entertainment industry, go directly to the 15 Richest Media Owners In The World.
5. Sergey Brin
Net worth: $94.5 billion
Age: 47
Ranking 5th on the list of the 15 richest media owners in the world is Google co-founder Sergey Brin. In 1998, he co-founded Google with Larry Page, whom he met at Stanford University. In 2004, Google went public, and in 2015, the tech company changed its name to Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). Google earns most of its money from search advertisements, but it is also a significant player in display advertising and video advertising through its DoubleClick ad tech platform through YouTube.
Alphabet’s overall revenues came in at $182.5 billion in 2020. Shares of GOOG increased 77.6% over the past twelve months.
4. Larry Page
Net worth: $97.4 billion
Age: 48
Google co-founder Larry Page ranks 4th on the list of the 15 richest media owners in the world. Page co-invented the PageRank algorithm, which powers Google’s search engine, with Sergey Brin. Aside from value-added internet services by Google, Alphabet Inc. is also one of the biggest cloud computing companies in the world. Google Cloud’s revenue in 2020 was $13.05 billion, while Google services totaled $168.6 billion.
Larry Page is a founding investor in Planetary Resources, a space exploration venture, and Kitty Hawk and Opener, two “flying car” startups.
Larry Page
3. Warren Buffett
Net worth: $101.2 billion
Age: 90
The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett steals the 3rd spot in our list of the 15 richest media owners in the world. BH Media, Berkshire Hathaway’s (NYSE: BRK-A) media affiliate with 71 newspapers and other titles in ten states across the US, was previously owned by the legendary investor. In March 2020, Lee Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: LEE) had completed its acquisition of the media company that was sold for $140 million.
Warren Buffett remains one of the richest media owners in the world because of his substantial stake in Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ). Verizon Media runs premium digital brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, and AOL.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, total Verizon Media sales were $2.3 billion, up 11.4% year over year. The stock has gained 3.41% in the last three months.
Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $113.5
Age: 36
Ranking 2nd on the list of the richest media owners in the world is Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook, a go-to networking platform during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, is owned by the Harvard dropout turned multi-billionaire. Facebook is the largest social media site globally. According to Facebook, the family of apps including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger now has 3.30 billion monthly users, up from 3.21 billion in the previous quarter.
The company’s revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020 came in at $28.07 billion, with $27.19 due to its advertising segment. In the same period, Facebook recorded 2.8 billion monthly active users. The stock has gained 74.9% in the last twelve months.
1. Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $196.8 billion
Age: 57
Topping the list of the 15 richest media owners in the world is Amazon.com’s founder Jeff Bezos. The richest man in the world is looked up to for the success of his e-commerce empire Amazon.com Inc, cloud computing giant Amazon Web Services, and aerospace venture Blue Origin. On top of that, Through Amazon Prime Video, one of the most popular subscription video-on-demand providers in the world, Jeff Bezos became one of the richest media owners in the world. Amazon Original shows and movies continue to be released on Prime Video around the world. The fourth quarter saw Prime Video’s highest global viewership for live sports. In the United States, Prime Video’s exclusive coverage of the San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals game on December 26 attracted an estimated 11.2 million total viewers and set a new record for streaming average-minute-audience for an NFL regular-season game.
The serial entrepreneur owns private companies that operate in the media and entertainment industry. Jeff Bezos owns one of the biggest newspaper companies in the US, The Washington Post. In 2013, Bezos acquired the newspaper firm for $250 million through his private company Nash Holdings. On top of that, Jeff Bezos owns live-streaming website Twitch and movie and tv program database IMDb.
The company’s revenue in 2020 came in at $386.1 billion, up 38% compared to 2019. Shares of AMZN increased 48% over the past twelve months.
Jeff Bezos
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