Concentration of media ownership

Media graphic showing the 2019 ownership of mass media groups in the United States

Concentration of media ownership, also known as media consolidation or media convergence, is a process wherein fewer individuals or organizations control shares of the mass media.[1] Research in the 1990s and early 2000s suggested then-increasing levels of consolidation, with many media industries already highly concentrated where a few companies own much of the market.[2][3] However, since the proliferation of the Internet, smaller and more diverse new media companies maintain a larger share of the overall market.[4]

Globally, some.of the largest media conglomerates include Bertelsmann, National Amusements (Paramount Global), Sony Group Corporation, News Corp, Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox Corporation, Hearst Communications, Amazon (Amazon MGM Studios), Grupo Globo (South America), and Lagardère Group.[5][6][7]

As of 2022, the largest media conglomerates in terms of revenue are Comcast NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Global.

  1. ^ Steven, 2009: p. 19
  2. ^ Downing, John, ed. (2004). The SAGE Handbook of Media Studies. SAGE. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7619-2169-1.
  3. ^ Lorimer, Rowland; Scannell, Paddy (1994). Mass communications: a comparative introduction. Manchester University Press. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-0-7190-3946-1.
  4. ^ Vizcarrondo, Thomas E. (2004). "Ownership Diversity Within the Media Industry: Trends and Current Conditions". Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 43: 31.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference New Internationalist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference newint.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Katharine Ainger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).