There are a few major media corporations that own many of the news channels in the United States. According to a 2021 report by the media watchdog group Free Press, the following six corporations own most of the major media outlets in the country:
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Comcast (owns NBCUniversal, which includes NBC News, MSNBC, and CNBC)
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AT&T (owns WarnerMedia, which includes CNN, HBO, and the Turner Broadcasting System)
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ViacomCBS (owns CBS News, Showtime, and various other cable networks)
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News Corp (owns Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and other media properties)
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Walt Disney (owns ABC News, ESPN, and other media properties)
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Sinclair Broadcast Group (owns or operates more than 200 local TV stations in the US)
It's worth noting that there are still some independent news outlets and smaller media companies that are not owned by these larger corporations.
However, these six companies do control a significant portion of the news media landscape in the US.
You only have the perception of choice.
Who are the largest shareholder of those 6 corporations?
The largest shareholders of the six major media corporations I mentioned earlier vary, but here is some information on the largest shareholders of each company as of 2021:
Comcast: The largest shareholder of Comcast is the company's CEO and Chairman, Brian Roberts, who owns around 1% of the company's stock. Other large shareholders include investment firms Vanguard and BlackRock.
AT&T: The largest shareholder of AT&T is the investment firm Vanguard, which owns around 8% of the company's stock. Other large shareholders include the investment firms BlackRock and State Street.
ViacomCBS: The largest shareholder of ViacomCBS is National Amusements, a media company owned by billionaire Sumner Redstone and his family. National Amusements owns around 80% of ViacomCBS's voting shares.
News Corp: The largest shareholder of News Corp is the company's founder and Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, who owns around 40% of the company's voting shares. Other large shareholders include investment firms Vanguard and BlackRock.
Walt Disney: The largest shareholder of Walt Disney is the investment firm Vanguard, which owns around 7% of the company's stock. Other large shareholders include the investment firms BlackRock and State Street.
Sinclair Broadcast Group: The largest shareholder of Sinclair Broadcast Group is the company's Executive Chairman, David Smith, who owns around 11% of the company's stock. Other large shareholders include investment firms BlackRock and Vanguard.
Who is BlackRock and Vanguard? And why do they have so much control?