Film

Internet

Music

Publishing

Recreation

TV

Radio

Sports

Telecoms

Other

Non-Media Assets

AOL Time Warner

In January 2001, the $165 billion mega-merger between AOL and Time Warner was the largest media merger in history. The new company promised to offer a powerhouse of integrated communication, media and entertainment across all platforms. But shares of the company fell off sharply in the two years following the merger. Heading into 2003, the company's stock is still down and the SEC and the U.S. Justice Department have opened inquiries into AOL's accounting practices prior to the 2001 merger. [Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.]

Film

Production/Distribution

• Warner Brothers Studios
• Castle Rock Entertainment
• New Line Cinema
• Fine Line Features

Video

• Columbia House Video & Disc Club (joint venture with Sony)

Television

Networks

• WB Television Network
• HBO
• Cinemax
• Time Warner Sports
• Comedy Central (50% -- Viacom owns other 50%)
• CNN
• CNN/fn
• CNN/SI
• CNN Headline News
• TBS
• TNT
• Cartoon Network
• Turner Classic Movies
• Court TV (partial ownership)

Production/Distribution

• HBO Independent Productions
• New Line Television
• Turner Original Productions
• Warner Brothers Television
• Warner Brothers Animation
• Looney Tunes
• Hanna-Barbera

Cable Systems

• Time Warner Cable

Music

• The Atlantic Group
• Rhino Records
• Elektra Entertainment Group
• London-Sire Records Inc.
• Warner Bros. Records
• Warner Music International
• Time Life Music
• Columbia House (joint venture)
• Giant (Revolution) Records (joint venture)
• Maverick (joint venture)
• Qwest Records (joint venture)
• RuffNation Records (joint venture)
• Sub Pop Records (joint venture)
• Tommy Boy Records (joint venture)

Publishing

Books

• Time Life Books
• Book-of-the-Month Club (managed by Bertelsmann)
• Little, Brown & Co.
• Bulfinch Press
• Back Bay Books
• Warner Books
• Oxmoor House

Magazines

• Time Magazine
• Life Magazine
• Fortune Magazine
• Sports Illustrated
• Money
• People
• Entertainment Weekly
• In Style
• Southern Living
• Cooking Light
• The Parent Group (Parenting, Baby Talk, Baby on the Way)
• This Old House
• The Health Publishing Group
• Real Simple
• Golf Magazine
• Popular Science
• Ski
• Yachting Magazine
• American Express Publishing
• Corporation (partial ownership; includes Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, Departures, SkyGuide)
• DC Comics
• MAD Magazine

Internet

• AOL
• CompuServe
• Netscape
• AOL MovieFone
• Digital City
• MapQuest.com
• Spinner.com

Recreation

Sports

• Atlanta Braves
• Atlanta Hawks
• Atlanta Thrashers
• Turner Sports
• World Championship Wrestling
• Goodwill Games

Viacom

The $50 billion merger between Viacom and CBS Corporation was completed in May 2000. Viacom is now the second largest media conglomerate worldwide, after AOL Time Warner, with 1999 sales of over $12 billion. During the industry's slump, 2001-2002, Viacom remained one of the top performing media giants. Its CEO, Sumner Redstone, has expressed interest in acquiring more cable channels and buying broadcasting channels in the U.K. [Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.]

Radio

Networks

• Infinity Broadcasting (manages Westwood One Radio Network)
• Metro Networks
• Comedy Central (50% -- AOL Time Warner owns other 50%)

Stations

• Infinity Broadcasting (owns and operates over 180 stations)

Internet

• MTVi Group
• CBS Internet Group
• Nickelodeon Online
• BET.com
• Contentville.com (35%)

Film

Production and Distribution

• Paramount Pictures
• MTV Films
• Nickelodeon Movies

Theater Operations

• United Cinemas International (joint venture with Vivendi Universal)
• Paramount Theaters
• Famous Players (Canada)

Video

• Blockbuster Video

TV

Networks

• CBS
• UPN
• MTV Network
• MTV
• Nickelodeon
• Nick at Nite
• TV Land
• CMT
• TNN
• VH1
• Noggin (joint venture with Children's Television Workshop)
• Showtime Networks
• Showtime
• The Movie Channel
• Sundance Channel (joint venture with Robert Redford and Universal Studios)
• FLIX
• SET Pay-Per-View (sporting and entertainment events)
• BET
• Comedy Central (joint venture with AOL Time Warner)

Production and Distribution

• Paramount
• Spelling Entertainment Group (80%)
• Big Ticket Television
• Viacom Productions
• King World Productions

Stations

• 16 CBS-affiliated stations
• 19 UPN-affiliated stations

Publishing

Books

• The Free Press
• MTV Books
• Nickelodeon Books
• Simon & Schuster
• Pocket Books
• Scribner
• Touchstone

Other

• Famous Music Publishing (copyright owners)
• Theme Parks
• Paramount Parks
• Infinity Outdoor/TDI Worldwide -- the largest outdoor advertising group in the U.S.
• Star Trek franchise

News Corporation

Based in Australia, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation Limited has diversified media holdings in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, Latin America and Asia. As of September 30, 2000, its assets totaled $38 billion and total annual revenues approximate $14 billion. In 2003, the company is seeking to acquire DirectTV, a U.S. satellite tv company. During the media industry's 2001-2002 slump, News Corp. wasn't as battered as others, partly because it avoided pursuing Internet companies during the 1990s bubble. [Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.]

Film

Production/Distribution

• Twentieth Century Fox
• Blue Sky Studios
• Fox Searchlight Pictures

Internet

• TheStreet.com (partial ownership with New York Times Co.)
• Healtheon/WebMD Corp. (partial ownership)

Sports

• Los Angeles Dodgers
• New York Knicks (partial ownership)
• New York Rangers (partial ownership)
• Los Angeles Kings (partial ownership)
• Los Angeles Lakers (partial ownership)
• Dodger Stadium
• Staples Center (partial ownership)
• Madison Square Garden (partial ownership)

Broadcasting

Networks - U.S.

• FOX Broadcasting Company
• FOX News Channel
• FOX Kids Network
• FOX Sports (partial in some markets)
• The Health Network
• fX
• National Geographic's cable channel (50%)
• Golf Channel
• TV Guide Channel (44%)

Stations

• 22 Fox affiliated stations

Networks - International

• British Sky Broadcasting
• STAR TV (Asia)

Radio

• Fox Sports Radio Network

Publishing

Books

• HarperCollins General Book Group
• Regan Books
• Amistad Press
• William Morrow & Co.
• Avon Books

Magazines

• TV Guide (partial ownership)
• The Weekly Standard
• Maximum Golf

Newspapers

• New York Post (U.S.)
• The Times (U.K.)
• The Sun (U.K.)
• News of the World (U.K.)
• The Australian (Australia)
• The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
• The Herald Sun (Australia)
• The Advertiser (Australia)

Bertelsmann

This privately-owned German media conglomerate is a global publishing giant with interests in roughly 600 companies and 53 countries. Its 1999 sales figures topped $13 billion. But its November 2000 agreement with Napster - lending $50 million to Napster to design file sharing technology that could download, for a price, music, film, television and books - fell apart in June 2002. Heading into 2003, new Bertelsmann management has been selling off some Internet acquisitions that had been pursued by the previous CEO, Thomas Middelhoff.[Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.] ^[1]

Television

Production/Distribution

• UFA Film & TV Production (Germany)
• Trebitsch Production (Germany)
• Delux Productions (Luxembourg)
• Cinevideo (Canada)
• Holland Media House (Netherlands)
• First Choice (U.K.)

Stations

• 16 stations in Germany, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, England, Poland, Hungary

Internet

• AOL Europe (partial ownership)
• Barnesandnoble.com (partial ownership with Barnes and Noble)
• CDNow
• Lycos Europe (partial ownership)
• Napster (partial stake)

Radio

Networks

• FM Radio Network (Germany)

Stations

• 17 stations in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden

Publishing

Books

• Ballatine Publishing Group
• Bantam Doubleday Dell
• Bertelsmann Publishing Group
• Book-of-the-Month Club (owned by AOL Time Warner, managed by Bertelsmann)
• Crown Publishing Group
• Doubleday
• Fodors Travel Publications
• Knopf Publishing Group
• Random House Inc.

Magazines

• Gruner & Jahr
• Child
• Family Circle (majority owner)
• Fitness
• Inc.
• McCall's (majority owner)
• Parents (majority owner)
• YM (majority owner)
• McCall's (majority owner)
• Parents (majority owner)
• YM (majority owner)

Music

• Arista Records
• BMG
• BMG Music Publishing
• BMG Music Service
• RCA Records
• Bad Boy Records
• LaFace Records
• Time Bomb Records
• Windham Hill Group

____________________

See also:

Vivendi Universal

Vivendi Universal was created in December, 2000 out of a merger agreement between Vivendi, The Seagram Company Ltd., and Canal+. The international merger combined Vivendi's telecommunications assets with Seagram's film, television and music holdings (including Universal Studios) and Canal+'s programming and broadcast capacity. Vivendi Universal's subsidiary Universal Music Group is the world's top music company, with roughly 22% of the global market share in 1999. Heading into 2003, the company is faced with huge debt and its new chairman plans to sell off $16 billion in assets. The previous chairman was forced out over questionable accounting practices and the company is being investigated by the SEC for suspicious financial statements. [Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.]

Film

Production/Distribution

• Universal Studios
• October Films (partial owner)
• United International Pictures (partial owner)
• Cinema International BV (partial owner)

Television

Production/Distribution

• Universal Television Group
• Multimedia Entertainment
• Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (partial owner)
• USA Networks Inc. (partial owner)
• Canal+ (Europe)

Music

Universal Music Group:

• MCA Records
• Polygram
• Island/Def Jam
• Motown
• Decca Records
• Geffen/DGC Records
• Universal Records
• Interscope Records
• Rising Tide

Publishing

Books/Magazines

• Havas Press (France)

Internet

• Universal Studios New Media Group
• VivendiNet
• Vizzavi (European multi-access portal)

Telecoms

• Cegetel (a leading private French wireless operator)
• Vivendi Telecom International

Sony

Japan-based Sony Corporation started in 1946 as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, with three employees. Now, it boasts more than 180,000 employees worldwide and over $58 billion in sales for 2001. Its Sony Pictures Entertainment is one of the seven major movie houses in Hollywood, while Sony Music is one of the top five distributors of albums worldwide. Heading into 2003, Sony's strategy is a gamble: connecting each of its consumer products to the Internet and then using them as a platform to deliver content from its entertainment divisions. Meanwhile, revenue from video games and movies has kept it atop of the Japanese electronics industry. [Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.]

Film

Production/Distribution

• Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Columbia Pictures
• Sony Pictures Classics
• Screen Gems
• TriStar Pictures
• Columbia TriStar Films (U.K.)
• Columbia TriStar Film
• Distributors
• Sony Pictures Imageworks (animation)
• Sony Pictures Studios

Theaters

• Loews Theatres (partial ownership)
• Star Theatres (partial ownership)
• Cineplex Odeon (partial ownership)
• Plitt Theatres (partial ownership)
• RKO Century Warner Theatres (partial ownership)
• Walter Reade Theatres (partial ownership)

Merchandise

• Sony Pictures Consumer Products

Video

• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
• Columbia House Video & Disc Club (joint venture with AOL Time Warner)

Music

Record labels

• Columbia Records
• Epic Records
• Harmony Records
• Legacy Recordings
• Loud Records
• Sony Music Soundtracks
• Monument and Lucky Dog
• Soho Square
• Mambo
• Rubenstein
• Dragnet
• Squatt
• Sony Classical
• Arc of Light
• Masterworks
• Sony Broadway
• SEON
• Vivarte

Distribution

• Columbia House Music Club (joint venture with AOL Time Warner)
• pressplay (joint venture with AOL Time Warner)

Television

Production/Distribution

• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
• Columbia TriStar International Television
• Sony Pictures Family Entertainment
• Telemundo Group (partial ownership)

Cable

• Sony Entertainment Television (India, Latin America)
• Game Show Network (jointly owned with Liberty Digital)
• HBO Asia (partial ownership)
• SET Asia (partial ownership)
• Cinemax Asia (partial ownership)
• HBO Ole, Latin America (partial ownership)
• Cinemax, Latin America (partial ownership)
• E! Entertainment Television, Latin America (partial ownership)
• The Movie Channel, Middle East (partial ownership)
• Showtime, Australia (partial ownership)
• Encore, Australia (partial ownership)
• Sky Cinema, Japan (partial ownership)

Other Entertainment Assets

• Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment
• Sony Online Entertainment
• Sony Computer Entertainment (computer games, PlayStation)

Non-Media Assets

• Sony Electronics
• Sony Life Insurance
• Metreon (a mall in San Francisco)

Walt Disney

It's the third largest global media conglomerate. FY 2000 revenues topped $25 billion, with 27% derived from parks and resorts, 24% from studio entertainment, and 17% from media networks. [Note: The following breakdown reflects interests and assets as of early 2001.]

Film

Production/Distribution:

• Walt Disney Pictures
• Touchstone Pictures
• Hollywood Pictures
• Caravan Pictures
• Miramax Films
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Internet

Buena Vista Internet Group:

• ABC.com
• ABCNews.com
• Oscar.com
• Disney.com
• Family.Com
• ESPN Internet Group
• NFL.com
• NBA.com
• NASCAR.com
• Soccernet.com (60%)
• Infoseek (43%)
• Toysmart.com (majority stake)

Music

• Buena Vista Music Group
• Hollywood Records
• Lyric Street Records
• Mammoth Records
• Walt Disney Records

Recreation

Sports

• Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• Anaheim Angels (partial ownership)

Theme Parks

• Disneyland
• Walt Disney World
• Disney-MGM Studios
• EuroDisney (partial owner)
• Disneyland Japan
• Epcot
• Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Disney's California Adventure
• Disney Cruise Line

Theater

• Walt Disney Theatrical Productions

Publishing

Books

• Walt Disney Company Book Publishing
• Hyperion Books
• Talk/Miramax Books

Magazines

• Discover Magazine
• Disney Magazine
• ESPN Magazine
• Talk
• US Weekly (50% stake)

Daily Newspapers

• County Press (Lapeer, MI)
• Oakland Press and Reminder (Pontiac, MI)
• Narragansett Times
• St. Louis Daily Record

Broadcasting

Networks

• ABC
• The Disney Channel
• SoapNet
• ESPN (partial ownership with Hearst)
• A&E (partial ownership with Hearst and GE)
• The History Channel (partial ownership with Hearst and GE)
• Lifetime (partial ownership with Hearst)
• E! (partial ownership with Comcast, MediaOne and Liberty Media)

Television Stations

• 10 television stations

Television Production/Distribution

• Buena Vista Television
• Touchstone Television
• Walt Disney Television, Animation

Radio

• ABC Radio Networks
• Radio Disney
• ESPN Radio
• 27 radio stations

See also:

• Television and the Hive Mind, by Mack White
• Freedom of Expression
• Propaganda
• Table of Contents for Feminism and Related Issues

The White Rose
Thoughts are Free