I used to think that the US media and entertainment industry shared a diverse range of opinions and ideologies. After all, there are so many newspapers, news channels, movie studios, tv networks, and magazines to choose from. After doing some research, I realized that I was wrong.
In reality, a small number of companies own most of the media and entertainment organizations in the US. The media only gives us the illusion of choice.
Instead of hearing a variety of opinions, we are getting the opinions of a small group. These companies have a huge influence on people’s political beliefs and perceptions of reality. They create the echo chamber that many Americans live in.
Concentration in media ownership is due to mass media consolidation.
5 Corporations Control Most US Media
The media landscape of the United States has become greatly consolidated over the past few decades.
About 50 years ago, 90% of the US media was owned by 50 companies. However, due to a series of mergers and acquisitions, 90% of the media we consume is now owned by just 5 mass media conglomerates.
This rapid consolidation is mostly due to deregulation during the Reagan and Clinton administrations. Those administrations loosened FCC (Federal Communications Commission) rules related to mergers and acquisitions. These changes allowed corporations to own a much larger portion of the media market.
The 5 companies that own 90% of our media are Disney, Comcast, AT&T, National Amusements, and News Corp.
The remaining 10% that isn’t owned by the big 5 is mostly owned by other well-known corporations. This means that independent media is rare to find nowadays.
It shocked me just how many companies these mega-corporations own. I guarantee that most of the media you consume is owned by the Big 5.
Here are the 5 companies and their most well-known media properties:
Comcast
Comcast is best known for Xfinity, the internet service provider everybody hates but has to rely on. However, they have many other properties you may not know about.
Here is a list of Comcast’s best known subsidiaries:
- Xfinity
- Sky Group Limited (a British Media company once owned by News Corp)
- 5.44% of the MLB Network
- NBCUniversal
- NBC
- Telemundo
- NBC News
- NBC Sports
- CNBC
- MSNBC
- Bravo
- Syfy
- E!
- Cozi TV
- USA Network
- Fandango
- Vudu
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Universal Pictures
- Illumination
- Focus Features
- Dreamworks Animation
- Big Idea Entertainment
- Working Title Films
- Minority Share of Hulu
- Peacock (the new streaming service)
- 14% of Vox Media (Comcast also made an additional $1 billion investment into Vox Media)
- A stake in Buzzfeed (Comcast invested $400 million into the company)
National Amusements
Most people have probably never heard of National Amusements before. However, it owns many tv networks and studios that most everyone watches.
Here is a list of National Amusements’ most well-known subsidiaries:
- Simon and Schuster (1 of the big 5 book publishing companies)
- ViacomCBS
- CBS News
- Paramount Pictures
- Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access)
- MTV
- Comedy Central
- Smithsonian Channel
- CMT (Country Music Television)
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- TVLand
- Pluto TV
- BET
- Showtime
- VH1
- The CW (a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros.)
AT&T
Though AT&T is known as a mobile and internet service provider, it became one of the Big 5 media companies in 2018 when it acquired Warner Media.
Here are AT&T’s main subsidiaries:
- HBO (Home Box Office Inc)
- Cinemax
- HBO Max
- Turner Broadcasting System
- CNN
- Cartoon Network
- TNT
- TBS
- TruTV
- Turner Classic Movies
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- DC Comics
- DC Films
- New Line Cinema
- Looney Tunes
- Castle Rock Entertainment
- 16.67% of the MLB Network
- The CW (a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros.)
News Corp
News Corp was founded in 1980 by Rupert Murdoch, an Australian American Media Tycoon.
News Corp is best known for Fox News, a news network founded by Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes (a Republican political strategist and media consultant).
The company is also known for 20th Century Fox, which it officially sold to Disney in March 2019.
Here are News Corp’s most well-known subsidiaries:
- Dow Jones and Company
- Fox News
- Wall Street Journal
- New York Post
- Fox Business
- Fox Sports
- Market Watch
- Barron’s
- Financial News
- HarperCollins Publishers (1 of the big 5 book publishing companies)
- Tubi TV
- News UK
News Corp also has an Australian division called News Corp Australia, which owns many Australian news sources.
Here are News Corp Australia’s largest subsidiaries:
- The Australian
- The Weekend Australian
- Sky News Australia
- The Daily Telegraph
- The Herald Sun
- The Sun
- The Courier-Mail
- The Advertiser
- Mercury
- Northern Star
Disney
Disney is probably the most well-known company of the Big 5. This company played a huge role in everyone’s childhood, including mine. I have many fond memories associated with Disney.
Here are Disney’s most well known properties:
- Pixar
- Marvel
- Lucasfilm
- A majority stake in Hulu
- ESPN
- ESPN+
- ABC
- The History Channel
- Freeform
- Touchstone Pictures
- Buena Vista International
- A&E (a joint venture between Disney and the Hearst Corporation)
- Lifetime
- Vice (26% stake through 20th Century Fox and A&E)
- Hollywood Record
- 20th Century Studios (Formerly 20th Century Fox)
- Searchlight Pictures (Formerly Fox Searchlight Pictures)
- FX
- Blue Sky Studios (Closed down in 2021 due to the pandemic, but Disney retains the rights to all its films)
Why Mass Media Ownership Matters
Whoever controls the media, controls the mind
Jim Morrison, lead vocalist of the rock band The Doors
Media consolidation is bad for democracy. A diverse media is crucial to keeping people informed about political issues.
However, with only 5 mass media conglomerates controlling 90% of what we read and watch, a handful of people have great influence over the flow of information.
Media consolidation is harmful to the country because it seeks to control the way we think rather than inform us. Instead of always sharing the most important news stories and giving full context, they selectively report stories in order to craft a narrative.
Larger media companies are more prone to influence by politicians and billionaires. These companies only represent the opinion of the elites and what they want us to think. Liberals and conservatives both have their own media machines that propagandize on behalf of the Democratic and Republican parties.
This creates an echo chamber that is difficult to escape from. The lack of ideological diversity in mass media is one of the driving factors of partisanship and bias. Mainstream Media commentary often lacks nuance and critical analysis, causing viewers to be more close-minded.
Why Ownership of Movie Studios Matters
It is easy to see why news media consolidation is harmful to society. However, it may not seem like a big deal that only 5 companies own most of the major movie studios in the US.
After all, there are many upsides to multiple studios being owned by the same company.
For example, when you buy a Disney+ subscription, you have access to the classic animated Disney films, Star Wars, the Simpsons, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Pixar all on the same platform. This would not be possible without all of Disney’s acquisitions. Plus you can pay for a subscription package with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for just $13.99 a month, which is a good deal for those 3 services.
However, this level of convenience comes at a high cost. The consolidation of movie studios can be harmful to our society.
Movies and Entertainment Shape Our Worldview
Politics is downstream of culture, meaning that whoever is in control of cultural institutions such as Hollywood, is in control of the political discourse. Entertainment consumes a large portion of our time and attention. Therefore, it has a huge impact on how we view the world around us.
When a few companies own most of the movie studios, there is a lack of ideological diversity in movies. Movies often shape public perception of particular political issues. An example of this phenomenon is the public perception of the US military
The US Military Uses Hollywood to Boost Its Image
The US has a controversial history of foreign military intervention. Not all of the US military activities abroad have been positive. One way the military tries to bolster its image is by working with Hollywood. In movies involving the military, the DOD allows the film industry to use military equipment. However, the military must preapprove scripts beforehand to make sure that movies portray the military in a positive light. This means that many criticisms of the military may be filtered out of a movie.
The subject of how movies influence our politics is a dense topic that deserves several articles. I will probably go into more detail on the subject in future blog posts. Hollywood often puts political and social messages in its movies, so it is just as influential in shaping our political views as the new media. This subject deserves more public attention.
How to Fight Back Against Media Bias
There are three ways you can fight against media consolidation and bias:
First, you need to take a critical look at every news story you read in order to recognize media bias. The truth is often more nuanced and complicated than the media tells us.
Second, you should vote for leaders that will take the threat of media consolidation seriously. This country needs to make stricter rules for media acquisitions so that a few companies can’t dominate the media market.
Third, you should support Independent news media and independent political commentators. Independent media is crucial because media with ties to large corporations and donors is more prone to bias. This doesn’t mean you can’t consume any corporate media. Sometimes these companies break important stories. However, you should supplement it with independent commentators.
By fighting back against the media oligopoly in this country, we can regain control of the political discourse and reduce polarization among citizens.
