Universal Music Valuation Multiples

Netflix’s relatively simple business model involves only one business, its streaming service. It has the biggest television entertainment subscriber base in both the United States and the collective international market, with more than 300 million subscribers globally. Netflix has exposure to nearly the entire global population outside of China. The firm has traditionally avoided a regular slate of live programming or sports content, instead focusing on on-demand access to episodic television, movies, and documentaries. The firm introduced ad-supported subscription plans in 2022, giving the firm exposure to the advertising market in addition to the subscription fees that have historically accounted for nearly all its revenue.

Disney operates in three global business segments: entertainment, sports, and experiences. Entertainment and experiences both benefit from the firm’s ownership of iconic franchises and characters. Entertainment includes the ABC broadcast network, several cable television networks, and the Disney+ and Hulu streaming services. Within the segment, Disney also engages in movie and television production and distribution, with content licensed to movie theaters, other content providers, or, increasingly, kept in-house for use on Disney’s own streaming platform and television networks. The sports segment houses the ESPN family of TV networks and streaming services. Experiences contains Disney’s theme parks, cruises, and vacation destinations and also engages in merchandise licensing.

Spotify is the leading global music streaming service, with over 750 million monthly active users and nearly 300 million paying subscribers, with the latter constituting the firm’s premium segment. Most of the firm’s revenue and nearly all its gross profit come from subscribers, who pay a monthly fee to access a music library that includes most of the most popular songs ever recorded, including all from the major record labels. The firm also offers access to audiobooks and integrates podcasts within its standard music app. Podcast content is not exclusive and is typically free to access on other platforms. Ad-supported users can access a similar music catalog, but cannot customize a similar on-demand experience.

Warner Bros. Discovery operates in three segments: streaming, studios, and linear networks. In 2026, it intends to split its networks from streaming and studios to form two separate companies. The streaming business includes HBO Max, which is rapidly increasing its international footprint in addition to its major presence in the US. Studios include industry leaders in both film and television, which produce movies and television series that are monetized in multiple ways, including theatrical release, sales to third parties, and feeding into Warner's own platforms. global networks consist of basic cable networks like CNN, TNT, TBS, Discovery, HGTV, and The Food Network. The Discovery+ streaming service will remain part of global networks.

Live Nation is the largest live entertainment company in the world, serving as a concert promoter, venue operator, and ticketing platform. In addition, the firm generates revenue from sponsorships and advertising. With offices in 51 countries, Live Nation promotes concerts globally and it owned, operated, or had exclusive booking rights to more than 400 venues worldwide at the end of 2025, which the firm says makes it the second-largest operator of music venues globally. In 2025, Live Nation promoted nearly 55,000 events, drawing roughly 160 million fans. Ticketmaster is a dominant global ticketing service, selling nearly 650 million tickets in 2025.

Liberty Media Corp along with its subsidiaries is engaged in the media and entertainment industries in North America and the United Kingdom. The company owns interests in a high-quality portfolio of assets across the media, entertainment and sports industries. The company derives its maximum revenue from United Kingdom.

Warner Music is the third-largest of the three major record companies. Recorded music accounts for most of the firm’s revenue, with the segment housing notable record labels including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records. Some of the most successful current artists signed to record deals with Warner include Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Dua Lipa. Warner’s remaining revenue comes from its publishing business, where Warner Chappell represents more than 180,000 songwriters and composers, some of whom are also Warner recording artists but many of whom are not recording artists or are attached to other labels. Warner Chappell controls more than 1 million musical compositions. Access Industries controls 98% of Warner’s voting rights, while holding a 72% economic interest.

TKO Group Holdings Inc is a sports and sports entertainment company that operates combat sports and sports entertainment companies. It owns and manages valuable sports and entertainment intellectual property. The company distributes content and monetizes its intellectual property through four activities: Media rights, production, and content, Live events and hospitality, Partnerships and marketing and Consumer products licensing, The company has two reportable segments, UFC and WWE. The company generates majority of revenue from the UFC segment. The UFC segment revenue consists of media rights fees associated with the distribution of its programming content, ticket sales, and site fees associated with the business's international live events.

Tencent Music is the largest online music streaming platform in China, established in 2016 through the merger of QQ Music, Kuwo Music, and Kugou Music. Tencent, its largest shareholder, holds over 50% of the shares and more than 90% of the voting rights. Beyond streaming services, Tencent Music generates revenue through a diverse range of offerings, including podcasts, livestreaming, concerts, and karaoke.

Paramount Skydance operates in three global business segments: TV media, filmed entertainment, and direct to consumer. The TV media business includes television production studios and various broadcast and cable networks, including CBS, 15 owned CBS affiliates, Paramount, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, and VH1. Filmed entertainment consists multiple film studios, most importantly Paramount Pictures. The film studios produce and distribute movies that they license to movie theaters and other media outlets. Direct to consumer includes the Paramount+, Pluto TV, and BET+ streaming services. Much of the content on Paramount’s streaming platforms is created by the production studios housed within the firm’s other two business segments.

Toho Co Ltd is a diversified media company with interests in the film and theater businesses. The company operates through three primary business segments: movie, theater, and real estate. The movie segment generates the vast majority of its revenue and is involved in the production and distribution of feature films. The theater segment is involved in planning, producing, and performing stage productions. The corporate real estate segment leases land and buildings. The company generates the vast majority of its revenue in Japan.

Bilibili is a Chinese online entertainment platform best known for its YouTube-like video-sharing site. Founded in 2009, it first focused on long-form content centered around anime, comics, and gaming, catering primarily to Gen Z users. Over time, the platform has broadened its content offerings to include a wider range of interests, successfully attracting a more diverse audience beyond the Gen Z demographic.

TBS Holdings Inc is a Japanese media and broadcasting holding company that operates television businesses through its subsidiaries. The company operates through three reportable segments: Media & Content Business, Lifestyle Business, and Real Estate & Other Business. The Media & Content Business includes television and radio broadcasting, event planning, video software production, and distribution. The Lifestyle Business handles general merchandise retail, beauty and wellness services, private tutoring, and early childhood education. The Real Estate & Other Business segment involves land and building rentals. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Media & content business segment.

RTL Group SA is a broadcasting television company with interests in television channels, video-on-demand platforms, and radio stations. The company has three main areas of business: broadcast, streaming, content, and digital. Broadcast includes television and radio; content includes content production and distribution, and digital includes online video and advertisement technology. Business segments include Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Groupe M6, Fremantle, RTL Nederland, and Other segments. The company's business units operate in Europe, predominantly in Germany, France, the United States, the UK, and Other regions.

HYBE is a music-based entertainment lifestyle platform company. The company operates through three segments: Music, Platform, and Technology-based Future Growth. The Music segment focuses on creating artists and music IP. The Platform segment aggregates content and delivers it directly to fans. The Technology-based Future Growth segment explores and develops new business opportunities arising from shifts in the digital and industrial landscape. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Music segment.

Nexstar is the largest television station owner-operator in the United States with over 200 stations in 116 markets, reaching 220 million people. Of its 200 stations, 155 are affiliated with the four national broadcast networks: CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC. Pending approval, Nexstar’s merger with Tegna would bring Nexstar’s station total to 259 in 133 markets, reaching 80% of the US population. Nexstar also owns NewsNation (formerly WGN), a cable news network, 75% of the fifth national broadcaster, the CW, and a 31% stake in Food Network and Cooking Channel.

Beijing Enlight Media Co Ltd is a China-based company engages in the provision of multimedia video content services. Its main business is TV programs and film investment, making and distributing. TV programs including regular TV programs and acting activities broadcasted on television. Acting activities generally are broadcasted on television, belonging to the special type of TV program and drama series.

Nippon Television Holdings Inc is a broadcasting and television company. It is engaged in media, content, life and health-related, and real estate businesses. The company operates through three reportable segments: the Media and Content Business, which handles television advertising, video distribution, pay-TV, retail, and film production; the Life and Health Related Business, which operates comprehensive sports clubs; and the Real Estate Related Business, which manages real estate rental, building operations, and solar power generation. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Media and Content Business segment.

Oriental Pearl Group Co Ltd operates a media integration and distribution platform in China. The various business units of the company comprise Channel Products Operation, Video Shopping, and E-Commerce, Culture and Entertainment Themed Tourism, Mobile Transmissions and Video Games among others.

Banijay Group NV media and entertainment company. It has over 130 production companies across 23 territories, a multi-genre catalogue boasting over 185,000 hours of original standout programming, and a complementary live entertainment business.

Toei Animation Co Ltd is a Japanese animation company. It is engaged in the planning and production of animation products for theaters and televisions (TVs), the sale of broadcasting rights, as well as the sale of packaged software rights of the Company's animation products with a focus on digital versatile discs (DVDs). The company develops characters into diverse types of merchandise such as toys, games, stationery goods, food products, clothing, and for campaigns and promotions. It produces works of animation mainly of television series along with other types of work such as theatrical features and original video animation.

JOYY Inc is a technology company. The Company operates several social products, including Bigo Live for live streaming, Likee for short-form videos, Hago for multiplayer social networking, an instant messaging product, and others. The Company operates through two segments: BIGO and All other. The BIGO segment consists of several social entertainment platforms, including Bigo Live, Likee, imo, and others. The All other segment consist of Hago, Shopline, and certain audio live streaming platforms.

FUJI Media Holdings Inc operates as a certified broadcasting holding company engaged in media, content, and related businesses. The company has two reportable segments: Media & Content Business, which involves broadcasting, film and animation production, music publishing, advertising, and mail-order sales; and Urban Development & Tourism Business, which engages in building rental, real estate transactions, and hotel and resort management. The company earns the majority of its revenue in Japan.

China Film Group Co Ltd is engaged in film and television production, film distribution, film screening, and film and television service business. The company's business includes six sectors: creation, distribution, screening, technology, services, and innovation, covering film and TV series production, post-product management; domestic and imported film promotion and distribution; cinema investment, theater chain management; film technology research and development, film and television equipment production and sales and technical services; film and television production, ticketing platform and financial leasing services and other fields.

ITV PLC is a broadcasting television company that owns, creates, and distributes the content on its platforms. The company's international content business, ITV Studios, produces programming for ITV's channels as well as other British broadcasters. The company's segment includes ITV Studios and Media and Entertainment. It generates maximum revenue from the ITV Studios segment.

Canal+ SA is a media and entertainment company that also operates short-form video streaming platforms with Dailymotion. It operates in three business segments: Europe, Africa, and Asia, and Content Production, Distribution, and Other. Key revenue is generated from Europe, which includes subscription-TV, advertising-based television, and OTT businesses across France, the Overseas Territories, Poland, and also in Central Europe and the Benelux through M7, and the Group's FTTH business in the Overseas Territories.

Lionsgate Studios Corp is a motion picture and television studio operations aligned with the STARZ premium subscription platform to bring a varied portfolio of entertainment to consumers around the world. The group has two reportable business segments: the Motion Picture and Television Production reportable segments. Motion Picture consists of the development and production of feature films, the acquisition of North American and world-wide distribution rights. Television Production consists of the development, production, and world-wide distribution of television productions, including television series, television movies and mini-series, and non-fiction programming.

Perfect World Co Ltd is an entertainment company based in China, engaging in the production, distribution, and marketing of film and television content, content related advertising and merchandising business, as well as talent management business.

Imax Corp is a technology platform for entertainment and events. Through its proprietary software, auditorium architecture, patented intellectual property, and specialized equipment, IMAX offers end-to-end solution to create superior, immersive content experiences for which the IMAX brand is globally renowned. The Company has two reportable segments being Content Solutions and Technology Products and Services. The Company leverages its proprietary technology and engineering in all aspects of its business, which principally consists of the IMAX film remastering and the sale or lease of premium IMAX theater systems.

China Literature Ltd is an investment holding company. The company along with its subsidiaries provides online reading services, copyright commercialization, writer cultivation and brokerage, and operation of text work reading. It generates its revenue from Online reading through self-owned platform products. it operates in two segments: Online business and Intellectual property operations and others. The Online business segment that derives the majority of revenue comprises online paid reading, online advertising, and game publishing. The Intellectual property operations and other segment include licensing and distribution of film and television properties, copyrights licensing, sales of adaptation rights and scripts, sales of physical books, and in-house online games operations.

Prime Focus Ltd is an international media and entertainment services company providing integrated post-production activities including visual effects, animation, stereo 2D to 3D conversion, and digital intermediate services. The company caters to the film, television, and digital content industries, offering end-to-end creative, technology, production, and post-production services. It operates across multiple cities globally, including prominent hubs in India, North America, Europe, and Australia, enabling seamless collaboration across time zones. Prime Focus generates revenue majorly through its media services and technology platforms, serving content creators with solutions that optimize workflows, enhance creative output, and reduce costs.

Toei Co Ltd engaged in the production of theatrical movies, TV dramas, direct-to-video productions, and anime, as well as a diverse range of businesses based on film production. The company releases both domestic and foreign movies, including its own films directly managed theaters and cinema complexes operated by the subsidiary T-Joy Co., Ltd. It also offers a digital cinema system providing packaged video software, such as DVD and Blu-ray discs. Its video distribution services engage in the sales of content to distribution media and the distribution of movies on iTunes in Japan. It operates more than ten official mobile websites via three major carriers namely NTT DOCOMO, au, and SoftBank.

Cloud Music is the second-largest online music service provider in China, founded in 2013 by NetEase. NetEase currently holds approximately 58% of Cloud Music’s equity stake and controls 90% of its voting power. The platform’s business model is similar to its main competitor, Tencent Music, as both offer music streaming services along with social entertainment features like live streaming to engage users and drive additional revenue.

TV Asahi Holdings Corporation is a Japanese multimedia group. Ranging from its primary business of broadcast TV, the company owns and manages music publishing and miscellaneous businesses. The Television Broadcasting segment is involved in the production and broadcasting of TV programs. The Music Publishing segment attends to music copyrights and related rights as well as the artist management and recording businesses and through the Others segment, it is engaged in event management and the sale of digital goods such as DVDs. The company derives its revenue from TV Broadcasting Business.

Zhejiang Huace Film & TV Co Ltd operates as a film and television production company. It focuses on the creation of TV dramas, films, and various kinds of fine arts.

Damai Entertainment Holdings Ltd is an integrated platform with content and technology as the core, covering content production, promotion and distribution, IP merchandising, licensing and commercial management, cinema and entertainment event ticketing management, and internet data services for the entertainment industry. Its segments are Live entertainment content and technology business, IP merchandizing, Film content and technology business, Drama series production. Majority of revenue comes from Live entertainment content and technology business which engaged in the full life cycle of live performances from the venue operations to the organization, investment, the production and promotion of the performance contents, performance ticketing, on-site services, ticketing system, etc.

Alpha Group produces animated movies and television series as well as producing and distributing toys. It designs, develops, manufactures, and operates competitive toys, remote-controlled toys, and smart digital series and girl toy series. The company conducts its business in the Chinese and international markets.

Xinhua Winshare Publishing & Media Co Ltd is engaged in integrated cultural operations specializing in the creative content production of publications, education services, cultural consumption services, supply chain services, and capital operation. Its activities are editorial and publishing of publications, sales of publications in physical stores and the internet, distribution of textbooks and supplementary materials, education information and equipment services, etc. It is through two operating segments; the Publication segment, which includes publishing books, periodicals, and audiovisual products, and the Distribution segment, which comprises the distribution of textbooks and supplementary materials. The group generates a majority of its revenue from the Distribution segment.

China Star Entertainment Ltd is an investment holding company. It operates in three segments namely Film related business operations engaged in investment, production, distribution and licensing of films and television drama series and provision of other film related services including artist management services; Property development and investment operations engaged in investment and development of properties; and Multi-media and entertainment business operations engaged in development, promotion and operation in multi-channel network e-commerce platform and development and sales of private label products. Majority of the revenue is derived from Property development and investment operations segment. Geographically, it derives maximum revenue from Macau.

Vivendi SE is an integrated content, media, and communications group. The company has established itself as a key player in content, media, and entertainment by developing a portfolio of listed and unlisted assets, each a leader in its market. It is present in the video game sector with Gameloft, and also holds a certain percentage of stakes in other companies such as Universal Music Group, Banijay, TIM, MediaForEurope, Telefonica, and Prisca. Its business segments include Gameloft, which derives maximum revenue, and Share of UMG, Corporate, and Other. Geographically, the group generates maximum revenue from North America, followed by EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, Africa), Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

PT Elang Mahkota Teknologi Tbk is an Indonesian integrated group engaged in services, trading, construction, and industry. The group is engaged in media, health, aviation support services, and other business segments through its investments in several subsidiaries. Media segment includes five Free-to-Air (FTA) television stations: SCTV, Indosiar, Mentari TV, Ajwa TV, and Moji; Health segment operates in the health sector by managing private hospitals, aviation support services, ground handling, cargo handling, aircraft dispatch, maintenance, catering, and flight training. The others include connectivity, provision of banking services, financial services, infrastructure technology, internet solutions, investment, and other initiatives. It derives maximum revenue from the Media segment.

Metropole Television SA is a media holding company that owns several television channels, magazines, publications, and movie production firms. Metropole Television SA's flagship channel is M6, a multimedia television network that displays a wide variety of content and includes dramas, news, comedies, films, and documentaries. Furthermore, Metropole owns production houses and operates digital content publications. It has four reportable segments which includes Television, Radio, Production & Audiovisual Rights and Diversification involves distribution of niche products, other online revenues, Interactions division. The company generates the vast majority of its revenue from France and also from Television segment.

Visual China Group Co Ltd is engaged in providing digital visual content and visual solutions to customers in media, commercial, and consumer sectors. It services include Copyright removal, rights protection agent, Sports, Entertainment and Digital marketing, and Special shooting.

Television Francaise 1 SA is a television broadcasting company. The firm operates numerous television channels, including TF1, which is the company's flagship channel that broadcasts a variety of television programming. Additionally, the company controls other channels such as LCI, which focuses on news and current events, and Eurosport, the company's sports broadcasting segment. It is also involved in television and film production, publishing, as well as social media services. The company derives maximum revenue through Television. The company generates the vast majority of its revenue in France.

Shanghai Film Co Ltd engages in film distribution and screening activities in China. It also engages in the copyright sales and investment, development and management of cinemas and theaters.

Hengdian Entertainment Co Ltd operates as a film production company. It offers film production, film marketing and other services. The activities are carried out through the region of China.

Webtoon Entertainment Inc is a storytelling platform where a vibrant community of creators and users discover, create and share new content. It has pioneered a cultural movement by revolutionizing the storytelling format and democratizing content creation and publication connecting creators with active users around the world.

S.M Entertainment Co is engaged in the media industry in Korea. Its business involves recording and production of music. It also distributes its music and videos through the medium of internet. Apart from its core operations, the company ventures into management, casting and training for artists.