The media landscape covers everything from social media platforms and streaming services to digital and print news organizations. Its biggest players have made names for themselves by producing content across a variety of channels. These are some of the largest media companies bringing consumers news and entertainment.
Largest Media Companies
- Optimum
- Spectrum
- NBCUniversal
- Apple
- Netflix
- Paramount
- Meta
- Hearst
Largest Media Companies
Based in New York City, Optimum stands as one of the largest communications and video services providers in the United States, offering broadband, video, mobile and proprietary content to nearly 5 million residential and business customers spread across 21 states. Alongside its core services, Optimum also operates a4, an advanced advertising and data business, delivering audience-based, multiscreen advertising solutions to a diverse clientele ranging from local businesses to national brands.
Spectrum is a massive enterprise media company that delivers communications services across television, internet, telephone and wireless connectivity. In addition to cable service plans, Spectrum also offers streaming packages so its customers can access content on-demand. The company serves more than 57 million homes and employs over 100,000 team members.
NBCUniversal has a lengthy history of innovation in media. That story spans from the early 20th century roots of the Universal and NBC brands in film and radio broadcasting to the company’s international presence today across television, streaming and movies. NBCUniversal’s notable brands include Bravo, DreamWorks, CNBC, Peacock, Fandango and Telemundo.
The media arm of the Apple tech empire publishes content in every available medium. The suite of channels includes the App Store, Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple Books and Apple News+, collectively adding up to one of the largest media offering repositories in the world.
Streaming behemoth Netflix started out sending rental DVDs through the mail in the 1990s, and today runs a digital subscription-based media business. It produces its own original programming through Netflix Studios and licenses a vast list of visual entertainment, including scripted shows, reality television, movies and comedy. Netflix original stand-up comedy specials bring top-tier comics to the home screen.
Iconic Paramount operates a portfolio of name brand visual media networks, studios and streaming brands, bringing premium content to viewers. Paramount Pictures is the longest running and last remaining major movie studio in Hollywood and has largely driven the technological advances in film of the past decade. On the streaming side, the Paramount+ streaming network gives access to a huge collection of otherwise-unavailable serial shows.
Meta, which used to be Facebook, owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and a long list of other popular social media and communications apps. As a social media company, Meta is moving toward offering augmented reality and virtual reality media experiences and developing an integrated “Metaverse” media ecosystem that places users in an immersive version of the internet.
Hearst is traditionally known for print media, publishing over 200 magazines including Cosmopolitan, ELLE and Men’s Health and a long list of daily and weekly newspapers. In addition to print, it also owns many prominent cable television networks, such as A&E, Lifetime and ESPN, and 33 television stations.
