Media Networks & Internet Broadcasting

Industry Profile Report

Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters

Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.

Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.

Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.

Industry Profile Excerpts

Industry Overview

The 4,200 media networks and internet broadcasting firms in the US provide information and entertainment to customers through online channels and supply traditional outlets including radio, television, cable, satellite, and other subscription programming. The Internet broadcasting industry includes subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services, and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD). Radio and television broadcasting stations and publishers of original content are covered in separate industry profiles.

Fierce Competition for Subscribers

As the video streaming market becomes increasingly crowded, competition for subscribers and quality content is squeezing industry profits.

Rampant Piracy

Pirated content is a growing risk to streaming services.

Industry size & Structure

A typical firm operates out of one to three locations, employs 56-57 workers, and generates $43 million in annual revenue.

    • The media networks and internet broadcasting industry consists of about 4,200 firms that employ about 237,500 workers and generate about $182.5 billion annually.
    • 85% of US households have at least one video streaming subscription and 60% have at least one paid music streaming subscription, according to Kantar.
    • Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Max are the leading streaming services in the US in terms of market share, according to Statista.
    • Major companies include Comcast, Warner Media, Netflix, Sirius XM Holdings, Spectrum, and the Big 4 television networks ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
                              Industry Forecast
                              Media Networks & Internet Broadcasting Industry Growth
                              Source: Vertical IQ and Inforum

                              Recent Developments

                              Dec 5, 2024 - Comcast Spins Off Some Cable Assets
                              • Comcast Corporation announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company comprised of NBCUniversal’s cable television networks and complementary digital assets including Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, and Sports Engine. Those networks collectively generated approximately $7 billion in revenue over the 12 months ended September 30, 2024. Comcast's Peacock streaming service, NBC News, the NBC broadcast network, and the Bravo channel will remain under the parent company.
                              • Media networks are responding to the rapidly decreasing value of linear TV with asset value write-downs, according to TheWrap. Paramount Global and Warner Brothers Discovery have taken write-downs totaling $15 billion related to the value of their linear networks and softness in the advertising market. A spinoff of Comcast’s cable network portfolio could get the cable giant’s most-distressed assets off its books while sparking a new wave of consolidation in the fast-declining linear TV business, according to TheWrap. TheWrap estimates that a spun-off company filled with Comcast cable networks could be worth $23 billion or more.
                              • YouTube is the first streaming service to garner more than 10% of all TV use in the US, according to media audience measurement firm Nielsen. Viewing of YouTube on televisions accounted for 10.4% of all TV usage in July according to Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge. People aged 17 and under accounted for 30% of all YouTube viewing on TVs for the month and 13%of all TV use regardless of platform — the highest mark for that cohort since a year earlier.
                              • Media network & internet broadcasting industry employment decreased significantly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased significantly during the first nine months of 2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Media networks & internet broadcasters moderately decreased their prices during the first nine months of 2024, according to the BLS. Linear broadcasting networks primarily derive revenue from affiliate fees and advertising sales. Internet broadcasters rely on monthly or annual subscription fees and to a lesser extent, advertising, for revenue.
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