Research Guides: Business of Media: Company & Industry Research

Independent Research Firms

Audit Bureau of Circulations
A not for profit, volunteer organization that oversees procedures to verify the circulation data published by newspapers and periodicals.
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen is a global measurement and data analytics company.
Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen tracks what music people are buying both in-store and digitally. Nielsen compiles data from thousands of retail outlets globally, to help record labels, publishers, artists, artist management and performance rights organizations understand what albums, singles and music videos people are buying, and where they’re buying them.

Who Owns What?

Who Owns What Guide
Published by the Columbia Journalism Review, this resource allows you to view media ownership by company.
Media Ownership Research Studies from the FCC
The research studies on media ownership listed here were intended to inform the Commission’s 2006 comprehensive review of its broadcast ownership policies.

Business Research

The Business Library is a very useful resource for identifying resources in specific categories, including industry research, marketing research, company and financial information, etc. It includes links and descriptions for specialized business resources, journal and periodical databases, research guides, and a searchable FAQ.

Company Overviews

Hoovers This link opens in a new window
Search by company. Includes company overview, financials, key people, competitors, and more.

Use these sources to learn basic information about a media company. Note that more information will be available for publicly traded companies.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Includes Datamonitor reports for companies. Click on company profiles in the main menu bar, then search or browse for a company.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
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Expand the "Get Company Info" widget to search through more than 80 million company profiles.
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Financial Information

EDGAR/IDEA
Search for company filings. Includes 10-Ks, as well as quarterly reports. Free. Made available by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Includes filings 1994 to present.

Hoovers This link opens in a new window
If financial reports and SEC filings area available for a company, Hoover will link you directly to that information.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
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Expand the "Get Company Info" widget to search company profiles, and use the "Financials" reports to search and view SEC filings.
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Industry Reports

To understand more about a specific media industry, try these sources.

eMarketer
Great for digital media and advertising. Includes an industry section on Media and Entertainment as well as statistics and tables related to media usage.
FirstResearch
Provides brief industry overview reports. Reports include: overview, competitive landscape, employment statistics, industry opportunities, trends, etc.
MarketResearch
Includes industry-specific reports relating to market trends, market share, consumer behavior, product innovation, and more. Note that access to reports is free for NYU students and faculty, despite the price display.

Mintel Academic This link opens in a new window
Mintel Reports offers research reports covering European, UK, and US consumer markets. The reports analyse market drivers, sizes and trends, market segmentation, along with consumer attitudes and purchasing habits. The reports are supplemented by brief digests of relevant recent events and UK and US demographic and economic statistics.
Requires Net ID and password on and off-campus.

Standard and Poors Net Advantage
Includes Industry Surveys for Advertising, Broadcasting and Cable, etc. Use the Industry Surveys pulldown box in the Quick Links section to view reports. Also includes Global Surveys for some sectors.
Gartner Reports
Provides access to reports from the information technology consulting firm Gartner Group. This resource must be accessed on campus. (Please note that access may be sporadic.)

Entertainment Industry Economics

Entertainment Industry Economics by Harold L. Vogel
Call Number: PN1590.F55 V6 2011
ISBN: 9781107003095
Publication Date: 2011