Netflix Is Now Bigger Than These 5 Media Conglomerates
There's big, and then there's conglomerate big — Netflix is now one of them, as the streaming platform's market cap already reached $146 billion. Here are five of the biggest media groups it passed on the way up.
Netflix, by now, might as well be considered the eighth of the companies considered to be the largest media conglomerates. The company's shares soared by 9 percent on Tuesday, as the Hollywood Reporter noted earlier this week, and its market cap has now ballooned to an impressive $146 billion.
For perspective, $8 billion more will put Netflix on the level of Disney or Comcast, the two industry titans that were decades in the making.
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#5. Viacom - $13 Billion
Viacom is home to Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, the VH1 and BET.
Recently, Viacom has been re-orienting their programming to cater more to specific segments on the market, like BET's new slate of programs that added "the most compelling & authentic stories about the Black experience."
The group has just launched "In Contempt" on BET, "Tosh.0" on Comedy Central and "Ex on the Beach" on MTV.
#4. CBS - $20 Billion
This group is trying to hold on to its title of "America's Most Watched Network" in the face of increasing cord-cutting and the popularity of streaming.
CBS has plenty of top shows this season that it banks on to keep streamers tuning in, including "Criminal Minds," "NCIS," "Code Black," and both "The Big Bang Theory" and its spinoff, "Young Sheldon."
The network also has "The Good Fight" for its headliner series, with the show now in its season 2.
#3. Sony - $64 Billion
Sony Pictures covers a lot of ground, from movies, television, and games that Sony Interactive does not already cover.
Sony is about to launch "Venom" on Oct. 5 this year, as the company looks to expand the "Spider-man" universe to the level of what Marvel pulled off with the MCU. Other than that, it's been a relatively quiet quarter for Sony, with the group releasing "The Goldbergs," "Alex Inc." and "Proud Mary" on ABC.
#2. 21st Century Fox - $70 Billion
21st Century Fox is the prime example of a mass media corporation, covering everything from broadcasting, movie and TV production, cable and streaming services, and record labels.
The company's film, television, and media distribution businesses were recently acquired by Disney for $52.4 billion. Disney didn't get all of it, but they still managed to acquire a good-sized chunk that includes 20th Century Fox movies and 20th Century Fox Television, along with all the back catalogs under those brands.
#1. Time Warner (HBO, Warner Bros. and Turner) - $76 Billion
Time Warner is a major player in every sense of the word, with each of its three major media brands — HBO, Warner Bros. and Turner — having a hand in everything from movies, music, television, video games and news.
HBO has been relatively successful in the TV and streaming space recently, especially with "Westworld" season 2 coming out on April 22. At almost half the valuation of Netflix, though, Time Warner has a lot of catching up to do.
