Internet Publishing, Broadcasting & Search Portals Industry Profile

Companies in this industry publish and/or broadcast content on the internet, or operate websites designed to help people find content online. Major companies include Alphabet, Meta, Netflix, and X (all based in the US), as well as Baidu, NetEase, and Tencent (all based in China) and NAVER (South Korea).

Global internet publishing, broadcasting, and search companies cater to a potential customer base of about 5.16 billion internet users worldwide. Top regions include Asia/Pacific (over 50% of worldwide internet users), Europe (nearly 15%), and the Americas (about 16%), according to Data Reportal. Use of the internet continues to expand globally, especially in developing nations.

The US internet publishing, broadcasting, and search portal industry includes more than 8,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $165 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

The profitability of individual companies depends on their ability to deliver relevant entertainment and information to the most people, and to offer advertisers desirable target markets. Advertising is a major source of industry revenue, accounting for more than half of US revenue.

Google holds the largest share in the US, attracting about 30% of total US digital advertising spending, according to Statista. Facebook holds the second-largest share, with about 25%. Amazon holds about 10% share of the digital ad market. The US industry is highly concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 85% of revenue.

Companies may ...