Media Conglomerates

1. Media Conglomerates
A media conglomerate is a very large, usually multinational corporation that owns a large part of
the mass media market. These corporations usually have holdings in the news media, as well as
movies, music, book publishing, newspapers, websites, television and concerts. Media conglomerates
are sometimes, but not always, owned by even larger, more generalized conglomerates, which deal in
entertainment as well as other ventures.
Concentration of media Ownership:
Concentration of media ownership refers to the relative proportion between two quantities: first,
the numbers of people or parties who own, control, or influence a given medium; and second, the
numbers of people or parties who are exposed to, affected by, or influenced by, that medium. This
topic is of particular importance as it relates to the sociological study of how people's beliefs are formed,
and how people's actions are then based on those beliefs. This topic is also important as it relates to the
study of editorial independence, media bias, and freedom of the press.
Concentration of media ownership (also known as media consolidation) also refers to the view
that the majority of the major media outlets are owned by a proportionately small number of
conglomerates and corporations. In that sense, the term "media consolidation" is used especially by
those who view such consolidation as sociologically detrimental, dangerous, or problematic. This term
may refer to states of oligopoly or monopoly in a given media industry, or to the sociological significance
of the proportionately low number of "mass media", or "mainstream media" media conglomerates.
Debate on the topic:
Mass media critics often say that the content of the news industry is slanted towards corporate interests.
Some see the corporate media as being biased. There have also been accusations of corporate
censorship and whitewashing. Furthermore, media conglomerates are also accused of favoring flashy
"infotainment" over relevant news stories.
There are also some concerns that the concentration of media ownership into the hands of a few large
corporations causes all mass media to be standardized, presenting the same limited cultural paradigm to
every society in the world. Some say that this is responsible for the homogenization of worldwide cultures,
and the introduction of Western consumerism into societies that are unable to support a Western lifestyle.
Those who own and work for media conglomerates, however, make a point of emphasizing the objectivity
of their news industry holdings. They deny claims of top-down bias in the news. It is also noted that there
are so many media organizations around the world that it is impossible for a few corporations to have any
actual control over the worldwide media.
In defense against claims of cultural standardization and heavy commercialism, they say it would be a
disservice to not provide customers around the world with desired information and products. The
responsibility of a conglomerate is to supply goods to meet demand around the world.
A list of the largest media conglomerates of the world is as follows:
General Electric (United States)
Viacom (United States)

2. Walt Disney Company (United States)
Sony (Japan)
News Corp (United States)
Time Warner (United States)
Hearst Corporation (United States)
AT&T (United States)
Bertelsmann AG (Germany)
Liberty Media (United States)
Vivendi Universal (France)
A brief description of some major media conglomerates of the world is as follows:
General Electric:
General Electric media-related holdings include television networks NBC and Telemundo, Universal
Pictures, Focus Features, 26 television stations in the United States and cable networks MSNBC, Bravo
and the Sci Fi Channel. GE also owns 80 percent of NBC Universal. It earned revenue of $157 billion in
2009.
Walt Disney:
The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC Television Network, cable networks including ESPN, the
Disney Channel, SOAPnet, A&E and Lifetime, 277 radio stations, music and book publishing
companies, production companies Touchstone, Miramax and Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation
Studios, the cellular service Disney Mobile, and theme parks around the world. It earned revenue of
$36.1 billion in 2009.
News Corporation:
News Corporation’s media holdings include: the Fox Broadcasting Company; television and cable
networks such as Fox, Fox Business Channel, National Geographic and FX; print publications including
the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and TVGuide; the magazines Barron’s and SmartMoney;
book publisher HarperCollins; film production companies 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures
and Blue Sky Studios; numerous websites including MarketWatch.com; and non-media holdings
including the National Rugby League. It earned revenue of $30.4 billion in 2009.
Time Warner:
Time Warner is the largest media conglomerate in the world, with holdings including: CNN, the CW (a
joint venture with CBS), HBO, Cinemax, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, America Online, MapQuest,
Moviefone, Warner Bros. Pictures, Castle Rock and New Line Cinema, and more than 150 magazines
including Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Marie Claire and People. It earned revenue of $25.8 billion in
2009.
Via Com:

3. Viacom holdings include: MTV, Nickelodeon/Nick-at-Nite, VH1, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount
Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, Atom Entertainment, and music game developer Harmonix.
Viacom 18 is a joint venture with the Indian media company Global Broadcast news. It earned revenue
of $13.6 billion in 2009.
CBS Corporation:
CBS Corporation owns the CBS Television Network, CBS Television Distribution Group, the CW (a joint
venture with Time Warner), Showtime, book publisher Simon & Schuster, 30 television stations, and
CBS Radio, Inc, which has 130 stations. CBS is now the leading supplier of video to Google’s new
Video Marketplace. It earned revenue of $13 billion in 2009.
Bertelsmann AG
Bertelsmann AG is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gutersloh, Germany.
The company operates in 63 countries and employs 102,983 workers (as of December 31, 2009), which
makes it the most international media corporation in the world. In 2009 the company reported €15.354
billion revenue and an operating EBIT of €1.424 billion. Among its some 500 subdivisions, subsidiaries,
and branches are Random House, RTL Group, Gruner + Jahr, Arvato and Direct Group.
Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation or commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate
corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate with
revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $77.20 billion U.S. (FY2010). Sony is one of the leading
manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles, and information technology
products for the consumer and professional markets.
Vivendi SA
Vivendi SA (formerly known as Vivendi Universal) is a French international media conglomerate with
activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is
headquartered in Paris.
Liberty media:
The Liberty Media Corporation (commonly referred to as Liberty Media & Liberty) is an American media
conglomerate and the control is exercised by company Chairman John C. Malone, with a majority of the
voting shares. Liberty Media operates three divisions: Liberty Capital (NASDAQ: LCAPA,
NASDAQ: LCAPB), Liberty Starz (NASDAQ: LSTZA, NASDAQ: LSTZB), and Liberty Interactive Group
(NASDAQ: LINTA, NASDAQ: LINTB). The tracking stock of each division of Liberty Media trades on the
NASDAQ stock exchange.
Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation is a privately-held American-based media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower in
New York City, USA. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's
holdings now include a wide variety of media. The Hearst family is involved in the ownership and
management of the company.