{"id":18108,"date":"2021-03-26T18:48:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T01:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=18108"},"modified":"2021-03-26T18:48:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-27T01:48:14","slug":"the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2021\/03\/26\/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6 Companies That Own (Almost) All Media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0WebFX Team<\/strong>\u00a0on May 22, 2017 <\/a>~ (WebFX.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In modern America, it feels like you have an unlimited variety of entertainment and media options right at your fingertips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Television, film, and video game companies seem to come out of the woodwork in today\u2019s startup-centric economy. Who knows what they\u2019ll do next? But while it may seem<\/em> like you have limitless options, most of the media you consume is owned by one of six companies. These six media companies are known as The Big 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While independent media outlets still exist (and there are a lot<\/em> of them), the major outlets are almost all owned by these six conglomerates. To be clear, \u201cmedia\u201d in this context does not refer just to news outlets \u2014 it refers to any medium that controls the distribution of information. So here, \u201cmedia\u201d includes 24-hour news stations, newspapers, publishing houses, Internet utilities, and even video game developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at each of The Big 6, who control them, and what they own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Media Conglomerate #1: National Amusements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unless you\u2019re directly involved in business and \/ or entertainment, you\u2019ve probably never heard of National Amusements before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company owns movie theaters throughout the world \u2014 about 950 total \u2014 but it owns much more than just movie theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NA\u2019s huge collection of properties is staggering. Whether they own a company entirely, possess majority shares, or even own minority voting shares, the scope of NA\u2019s reach is enormous for a company that\u2019s known less than its subsidiaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start our look at NA, let\u2019s check out one of the biggest names in modern business \u2014 Sumner Redstone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head: Sumner Redstone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sumner Redstone is the current owner of National Amusements and all of its properties. While his daughter Shari has the title of President, Sumner Redstone retains most of the control over the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NA was first founded by Sumner Redstone\u2019s father Michael Redstone, making National Amusements one of the most powerful and successful corporate dynasties in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the Redstones publish their salaries. After all, National Amusements is a private company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, finance experts can guess at Sumner Redstone\u2019s overall net worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His net worth refers to the total financial value of what Sumner Redstone owns, minus any outstanding debts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he nears his 94th birthday in 2017, Sumner Redstone (and his estate) is worth an estimated $4.6 billion, according to Forbes<\/em>.While a decent amount of that value comes from his stake in National Amusements, much more of it comes from the companies that he owns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TV and Film Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The most famous assets of National Amusements are almost all Viacom and CBS properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined, they make up the lion\u2019s share of NA\u2019s television and film acquisitions.Still, that\u2019s only a portion of what NA owns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Print Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

National Amusements has a modest collection of print publishers, but they\u2019re pretty well-known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most well-known is Simon and Schuster, which National Amusements acquired when it purchased Viacom in 1999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video Game Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Along with other entertainment assets, National Amusements controls CBS Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its acquisition, CBS Games has rebranded to CBS Interactive, which now controls well-known gaming websites that we\u2019ll look at next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internet Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With CBS Interactive, National Amusements controls giant chunks of the video game news and sports news industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These brands include GameSpot, Metacritic, c|net, and 247-Sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Conglomerate #2: Disney<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Disney is probably the most well-known media name on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company has a hand in just about every medium in the world from children\u2019s cinema to sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to television and film, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019re watching something owned by the Disney company \u2014 even if it doesn\u2019t have Disney\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They own so, so<\/em> much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the company\u2019s leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head: Bob Iger<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Disney announced Bob Iger as CEO on March 13, 2005, following the departure of Michael Eisner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, Iger has run a campaign of mergers and acquisitions to expand Disney into an even greater media powerhouse, especially with the acquisition of Marvel ($4 billion) and Lucasfilm ($4 billion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His published salary is $44.9 million. That breaks down to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n