Good Essay About Media Conglomerates

Vivendi SA, previously known as Vivendi Universal is a European-based multinational media company. The headquarters are located in Paris, France. The company is led by Chairman of the Supervisory Board Vincent Bollore and Chairman of the Management Board Arnaud de Puyfontaine. Previously, it was chaired by Jean Marie Messier (known as J2M), who was resigned because of using corporate funds. It owns Canal+ Group operating in France, Africa, Poland and Vietnam, Studiocanal, Universal Music Group, Wengo, Houghton Mifflin publishing agency, Watchever, GVT (broadband), fixed-line telephony Vivendi Telecom, music download site MP3.com, several theme parks located around the world from Barcelona to Beijing, and Paris concert hall L’Olympia (Vivendi).
According to Forbes, Comcast headed the list of the world’s largest media companies in 2014 (Le 2014). The headquarters of the company are located in Philadelphia, USA. The company was founded in 1960s as a cable operator. Nowadays, it operates through Cable Networks and Communications, Broadcast Television, Theme Parks and Filmed Entertainment. The chairman of the company is Brian Roberts and it is historically chaired by Roberts’ family. It owns NBC Universal with two TV networks (USA and Telemundo) and about 20 cable channels. Besides, Comcast possesses Universal Pictures (including related theme parks in California and Osaka) and has other cable networks including AZN Television, TV-One, and several sports channel. The company has its own Internet portal Xfinity (Institute of Media and Communications Policy).
The Walt Disney Company is an American multinational company with the headquarters in Burbank, California, USA. It is the second largest media company after Comcast in terms of the revenue. It was founded by Walt and Roy Disney and the company is headed by Bob Iger, the Chairman and CEO. Disney is famous with its theme parks in Los Angeles and Paris, Disney World in Florida, Sport Complex and hotels. Besides, the company owns Walt Disney Studio including Motion Pictures and Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Disneynature. As for broadcasting the company operates the ABC and such cable networks as Disney Channel, ESPN, etc. The company also has its own theatrical group to produce musicals based on the most popular animations like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
Viacom is a short for Video and Audio Communications. The company was founded in only 2006, yet it is one of the most famous media companies in the world. The headquarters of the company are located at Manhattan, New York City. The Executive Chairman of Viacom is Summer M. Redstone. The company owns Paramount and United Cinemas International as well as Blockbuster renter for videos. As for TV, the Viacom is the owner of the CBS Network, which offers about 200 TV stations and has global broadcasting. The most famous TV-channels are, however, the music ones – MTV and VH1, who are actually competitors on the media market. The other well-known channels are Nickelodeon, Paramount, Simon&Schuster, BET, TNN, Spike and Comedy Central. Viacom also possesses the biggest advertising company in the world. It is titled the Infinity Outdoor.

Works Cited

"Comcast." Institute of Media and Communication Policy. 5 Mar. 2015. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mediadb.eu/en/data-base/international-media-corporations/comcastnbcuniversal-llc.html>.
Le, Vanna "Global 2000: The World's Largest Media Companies Of 2014." Forbes 5 Jul. 2014. 24 Mar. 2015.<http://www.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2014/05/07/global-2000-the-worlds-largest-media-companies-of-2014/>.
"Our Businesses." The Walt Disney Company. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-companies>.
"Vivendi in Brief." Vivendi. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.vivendi.com/vivendi-en/vivendi-in-brief/>.