Vivendi Universal Takes Top European Media Owner Spot
Zenith Media has calculated Europe’s top media owners for the first time in three years, reports the International Federation of the Periodical Press, FIPP. A number of merger deal have shifted the positions in the table, which now looks like this:
| Zenith’s Top 20 European Media Owners | |
| Revenue in 2000 ($m) | |
| Vivendi Universal | 4,695 |
| Bertlesmann | 4,217 |
| BSkyB | 3,334 |
| United Bus. Media | 2,994 |
| Lagardère | 2,825 |
| DMGT | 2,814 |
| Kirch Group | 2,590 |
| Axel Springer | 2,217 |
| TF1 | 2,017 |
| Mediaset | 1,995 |
| Reed Elsevier | 1,851 |
| VNU | 1,639 |
| Trinity Mirror | 1,561 |
| Emap | 1,492 |
| WAZ | 1,431 |
| Bonnier | 1,408 |
| H Bauer (1999) | 1,402 |
| RAI | 1,324 |
| JCDecaux | 1,300 |
| Pearson | 1,280 |
| Source: Zenith Media / M&M Europe | |
Vivendi’s merger with Canal Plus and Universal Studios moves Vivendi Universal to top – up from fifth position in 1999. Bertlesmann’s take-over of RTL maintains it second position (see Pearson Agrees Sale Of RTL Stake).
M&M Europe reports that in 2000, the top 50 companies increased their media revenue by an average of 16%, well ahead of the 10% increase in European ad expenditure that year. This signals either reduced reliance on advertising, or more ad-selling clout, according to FIPP.
A global reach The increasingly global reach of advertisers’ brands has prompted media agencies, ad agencies and media owners alike to offer global reach (see Forecasts). For media owners, this means delivering global audiences to advertisers and this in turn requires the consolidation of operations that we are currently seeing.