Media Hegemonies: Mapping Who Owns What

When asked to discuss a Major Media Company, I automatically searched for which companies those were. And, both surprisingly and not, the Disney Corporation is one of the best, alongside Time Warner and General Electric. As someone who is part of the Disney generation (by this I mean I was raised on the animated classics, and still watch them from time to time), I thought it would be appropriate for me to discuss one of my childhood staples as a business rather than a pleasure.

Disney has grown over the decades, increasing sales and output. But, what most people don't know (including myself until I did the research) was just how much Disney owns. The "Walt Disney Company" website offers this information in neatly organized sections, so I will do the same.

1)The Walt Disney Studios: Disney films that are released are affiliated with a number of production studios, including; Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films. 

(The Walt Disney Music Group also has a number of affiliates including Hollywood Records and Lyric Street Records.)

2)Parks and Resorts: The Walt Disney Company own numerous theme parks and family resorts, to be specific:

-eight Disney Vacation Club resorts

-the Disney Cruise Line

-five other resort location, including eleven theme parks, spanning three continents

3)Consumer Products: Fairly straightforward, and encompassing everything from footwear, to books, to "health and beauty" products, and even Disney stationary.

4)Media Networks: Possibly the section most important to this blog post. Here are just a few of the networks owned by and affiliated with Disney:

- Disney-ABC Television Group

- ESPN Inc.

- ABC Family

- SOAPnet

So, with all of this information, how has your outlook on Disney changed? Personally, this is not the Disney I thought I knew as a child. Which goes to show how much a corporation can change with the evolution of media. Disney is now a multi-media conglomerate, dominating most of today's markets, and doing it well.

This makes me wonder what Walt Disney would have to say about all of this, in comparison to what he started out with.