The world moves on news. From decisions based on coverage of financial markets and political developments to those based on local news or weather reports, the news impacts our lives directly and indirectly. News is available and accessed in multiple formats: digital (online news content), print (newspapers and magazines), and broadcasting (TV and radio).
Investors looking for investments in news-only publicly traded companies should carefully study the overall business of a company to ensure that its operations fit into their desired investment profile. Here are some of the world’s top news companies, arranged in the decreasing order of the available market cap figures as of August 2024.
Key Takeaways
- News media companies have seen revenues erode over the past two decades as ad revenues and subscriptions suffer at the hands of online news outlets.
- Print media and local newspapers have been especially hard hit, as broadcast news continues to dominate the airwaves and streaming services.
- The top 10 media companies include Comcast, Thomson Reuters, and Naspers.
- Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Revenue (TTM): $121.11 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $15.09 billion
- Market Cap: $155.91 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -12.59%
- Exchange: Nasdaq
Comcast (CMCSA) is a media giant. It is one of the largest broadcasting and cable television companies in the world by revenue. Comcast also ranks among the largest pay-TV companies, cable TV companies, and home internet service providers in the United States. The company provides customers with home telephone services and controls the news media outlets NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, and UK’s Sky News.
- Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Revenue (TTM): $6.96 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $2.35 billion
- Market Cap: $73.66 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 30.14%
- Exchange: New York Stock Exchange
Thomson Reuters (TRI) is a Canadian-based news and media company. It provides financial and market data across the globe, including the Reuters service. It owns both news the Thomson and Reuters News publications as well as other online financial and wire services. Thomson Reuters also provides corporate solutions, legal products, and professional services.
3. Naspers (NAPRF)
- Headquarters: Cape Town, South Africa
- Revenue (TTM): $6.33 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $2.08 billion
- Market Cap: $32.78 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 16.72%
- Exchange: OTC Markets
Naspers is a multinational holding company with interests in several of the nation’s newspapers, magazines, and book publishers. Naspers has also engaged in several international joint ventures, including in Holland and China, and it has a 24.96% stake in the media giant Tencent.
- Headquarters: Verdun, Canada
- Revenue (TTM): $17.95 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $1.57 billion
- Market Cap: $31.35 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -15.22%
- Exchange: New York Stock Exchange
BCE began as a small telephone company after Alexander Graham Bell transferred most of his telephone patent rights to his father, who started the company in the late 1880s. Since then, it has grown into Canada’s largest media and communications provider, with radio and television stations, streaming services, advertising companies, cell phone services, and internet and smart home services.
- Headquarters: Ontario, Canada
- Revenue (TTM): $14.92 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $642.29 million
- Market Cap: $21.41 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: $
- Exchange: 0.60%
Rogers Communications owns and operates television and radio stations throughout Canada, including news and sports coverage. However, its most profitable segment is wireless services—the company has more than 12 million wireless and mobile phone subscribers.
- Headquarters: New York, New York
- Revenue (TTM): $39.94 billion
- Net Income (TTM): -$11.77 billion
- Market Cap: $18.71 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: -39.64%
- Exchange: Nasdaq Stock Market
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is a media and entertainment company that offers a range of content and brands across its portfolio, including television, streaming, and film. Some of the major names under its umbrella include CNN, HBO, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, and Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Headquarters: New York, New York
- Revenue (TTM): $13.98 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $1.50 billion
- Market Cap: $17.87 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 21.18%
- Exchange: Nasdaq
Fox Corp. (FOX) delivers news, sports, and entertainment content. The company provides news under Fox News Media and several local Fox station news affiliates. It was formed in 2019 after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets from News Corp., where the news and other content were spun off as a standalone firm.
Audience reach is an important parameter when assessing the business potential of news companies. However, it is best to keep in mind that news companies are diversifying more and more by investing in non-news-related businesses that may include software, data analytics, and technology.
- Headquarters: New York, New York
- Revenue (TTM): $10.09 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $266 million
- Market Cap: $15.12 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 37.42
- Exchange: Nasdaq
News Corp. (NWS) is a diversified information and media services company. It was formed when Rupert Murdoch split News Corporation into two entities: News Corp. and 21st Century Fox. News Corp. is focused on news and information services and has four additional segments, including:
- Cable network programming
- Digital real estate services
- Book publishing
- Other, which includes paid television services, book publishing, and other online services
Its famous brands include The Times, Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal, The Sun, Herald Sun, and HarperCollins Publishers. News Corp formerly owned FOX News properties before they were spun off.
- Headquarters: New York, New York
- Revenue (TTM): $2.49 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $269.45 million
- Market Cap: $8.97 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 39.49%
- Exchange: New York Stock Exchange
Owner of reputed brands like The New York Times (NYT), The New York Times International Edition, and the web property NYTimes.com, The New York Times Company is a global media company grounded in journalism that owns and operates its own digital platforms.
- Headquarters: Irving, Texas
- Revenue (TTM): $4.99 billion
- Net Income (TTM): $433 million
- Market Cap: $5.39 billion
- 1-Year Trailing Total Return: 6.86%
- Exchange: Nasdaq
Nexstar Media Group (NXST) is a television broadcasting and digital media company. It acquires, develops, and operates television stations and community websites. It also has a presence in the digital media services space. The company owns and operates several local TV stations across the country, each producing local news for broadcast and online consumption. Nexstar acquired Tribune Media in 2019, increasing its range and reach of television and print news media.
Other Notable News Media Companies
IAC
IAC (IAC)—formally known as IAC/Interactive Corp—has a presence in the media and internet business landscape. The company owns and operates news media companies like The Daily Beast. Through its acquisition of Dotdash-Meredith, it also controls several online news and information providers such as People Magazine, The Balance, Entertainment Weekly, Better Homes & Gardens, Food + Wine, Lifewire, and Investopedia. IAC has a market cap of $4.45 billion.
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) is an American media company that operates in local news, marketing, and sports. The company has a market cap of $650.10 million. It broadcasts free over-the-air programming, such as network-provided programs, locally-produced news, local sporting events, programming from program service arrangements, syndicated entertainment programs, and internally originated programming to television viewing audiences in the communities through its local television stations.
It owns, operates, and services 185 stations in 86 markets. Sinclair also owns and operates various networks carried on online distribution platforms.
E. W. Scripps
With a market cap of $192.98 million, E.W. Scripps (SSP) is a large media group founded in 1878. It operates several TV stations, newspapers, and local and national digital media sites. Its business is split across three streams: television, newspapers, content syndication, and others. The last division includes the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Gannett
Gannett (GCI) is a diversified news and media information company that operates in broadcasting, publishing, and digital. It has a market cap of $707.74 million. The most famous brand the company owns is USA Today. Its broadcasting segment runs local news stations in 43 states, along with 150 local media outlets across the U.K.
Daily Journal
Daily Journal (DJCO) has a market cap of $621.84 million. The company operates as an information service provider through print and digital media, primarily in California and Arizona. Well-known brands include The Los Angeles Daily Journal, Daily Commerce, The San Francisco Daily Journal, The Daily Recorder, The Inter-City Express, The Orange County Reporter, Business Journal, and The Record Reporter.
What Are the Top 3 Media Companies?
Comcast, Apple, and Disney are some of the largest media companies.
What Is the Number One News Network?
While everyone has a preferred news network, some networks are more popular than others. However, there really isn’t a number one news network.
Which News Is More Popular in the US?
Reports vary depending on the source of information, but the large networks tend to dominate national news. Local news is generally more popular with people looking for information about their state and communities.
The Bottom Line
Like other industries, the news media industry has had to rethink the way it operates. Broadcast companies can’t just get by on TV and radio news, while print publications have to think beyond the written word. Many news media companies have diversified into various media channels, such as providing wireless, internet, and streaming services to customers to maintain positions in the market.
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