--- description: Presenting the inaugural TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential media and communications businesses of the year. title: The 10 Most Influential Media and Communications Companies of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted2fc5d322f4c3d7/69e8ef9d49bc9813f940d27b/MediaCommunications.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [TIME100 Companies 2026](/tag/time100-companies-2026/) ## TIME100 Companies 2026 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 10 Most Influential Media and Communications Companies of 2026 by [TIME Contributors](/author/time-contributors/) ## TIME Contributors Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 28, 2026 1:09 PM CUT  Illustrations by Zhenia Vasiliev by [TIME Contributors](/author/time-contributors/) ## TIME Contributors Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 28, 2026 1:09 PM CUT This year, TIME editors launch the **TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders** lists, an expansion of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies issue that dives deeper into 20 sectors to look at the companies shaping their industries. These are the 10 most influential companies in media and communications of 2026. ### Nielsen _Reinventing ratings_ For decades, TV studios have made programming decisions based on Nielsen ratings, and Nielsen has measured TV viewers the same way: a panel of roughly 42,000 households with meters tracking who watched what. In September, the company rolled out the most significant change in its history, combining that panel with data from set-top boxes and smart TVs across [45 million households and 75 million devices](https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/nielsen-begins-updated-era-of-tv-ratings-with-big-data-panel-for-this-falls-tv-season/ "undefined"). The hybrid system, called Big Data + Panel, was adopted as industry currency for the fall broadcast season. [CEO Karthik Rao](https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/nielsen-big-data-panel-technology-accreditation-tv-upfront-1236280721/ "undefined") has called it the most accurate measurement in the history of television. Not everyone agrees. The [NFL has accused](https://www.wsj.com/business/media/nfl-nielsen-ratings-39a1c525 "undefined") Nielsen of undercounting millions of viewers, and a [trade group](https://www.adexchanger.com/marketers/the-vabs-latest-report-puts-nielsens-big-data-panel-methodology-on-blast/ "undefined") representing major broadcasters found that nearly half of TV-viewing hours diverged by at least 20% from panel-only figures, with the largest swings in the younger demographics advertisers covet. In March, the [Media Rating Council](https://thedesk.net/2026/03/media-ratings-council-questions-nielsens-revised-audience-estimates/ "undefined") publicly disclosed that the system's accreditation was under evaluation. The stakes are hard to overstate: billions of dollars in advertising are bought and sold based on Nielsen's numbers, and the new methodology is producing different ones—generally bigger for live sports and smaller for niche programming and older-skewing fare. With consumption now split across broadcast, cable, streaming, and social platforms, getting the count right has never mattered more. —_Samantha Bergeson_ ### T-Mobile _Beyond wireless_ A decade ago, T-Mobile was the runt of America's Big Four wireless carriers. Today the un-carrier serves more than [142 million people](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260210151033/en/T-Mobile-Delivers-Best-in-Class-Customer-Results-in-Q4-Translating-into-Durable-and-Profitable-Financial-Growth-Driven-By-Widening-Differentiation "undefined")—within striking distance of overtaking market leader Verizon—with service revenue growing at multiples of its rivals. And it's far from done. In 2025, the company closed a $4.3 billion acquisition of UScellular, adding 4.5 million subscribers; took joint-venture stakes in fiber providers Lumos and Metronet to push into home broadband; snapped up ad-tech firms Vistar Media and Blis to build what is now a billion-dollar-plus advertising business; and launched [T-Satellite](https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/t-satellite-data-ready-app-expansion "undefined"), a direct-to-device satellite [service built with SpaceX's Starlink](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/t-mobile-launches-nationwide-satellite-service-with-starlink/ "undefined") that lets subscribers text and use basic apps from dead zones. The former underdog is now arguably the most diversified carrier in America. _—Gabriela Riccardi_ ### AST SpaceMobile _Cell towers in space_ Smartphones are only as good as the cell towers that support them; move out of range of a signal and you’re out of luck. That is changing, thanks to Midland, Tex.-based AST SpaceMobile, which aims to take your service to space. In 2024, the company launched a flock of five of its [BlueBird](https://ast-science.com/bluebird-1-5/ "undefined") satellites, each with 693-sq.-ft. antenna arrays. The satellites began testing in 2025, delivering the first space-to-phone broadband, free of the limited footprint of cellular towers or the need for a specialized satellite phone. In [December](https://satnews.com/2025/12/24/ast-spacemobile-deploys-bluebird-6-largest-commercial-array-in-leo/ "undefined"), the company launched a more capable satellite measuring a whopping 2,400 sq. ft., and plans to launch up to 60 more in 2026, dramatically increasing the reach of its coverage on the ground. “Our mission is simple but ambitious: connect every smartphone on Earth,” says Abel Avellan, AST SpaceMobile’s founder and CEO. “It means voice calls, live video, streaming, and full internet access on unmodified devices.” —_Jeffrey Kluger_ ### Publicis Groupe _Comms innovator_ In a media market where audiences are scattered across platforms, Publicis Groupe has done what few in the industry have managed: it has gotten bigger. The French marketing and communications giant pulled in $10 billion in new client billings in 2025—nearly a third of all media spend that changed hands between agencies worldwide—helping push the parent company's total revenue to €17.4 billion ($20.5 billion). Wins included Coca-Cola in North America, along with Mars, LinkedIn, and PayPal. Behind that growth: a pair of shrewd bets that are paying off. Publicis bought influencer agency Influential in 2024 and launched Influential Sports in February, tying itself more tightly to creators, athletes, and major global events. At the same time, Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun has made what he calls the "AI-ification" of Publicis a top priority, building on the company's internal AI platform, Marcel, which helps match teams to projects, shares institutional know-how, and automates routine tasks. —_Amrita Khalid_ ### Patreon _Backbone of the creator economy_ Long before Substack gave writers a way to monetize their work directly, Patreon was offering indie creators of all stripes a way to do just that. Now, more than a decade after launching, Patreon has become the infrastructure layer for creators who want to build a business without depending on ad-driven algorithms; it has paid out over $10 billion to podcasters, musicians, video makers, and writers—more than $2 billion of it in the past year alone. And it's begun pulling some of that same newsletter talent, with writers like Anne Helen Petersen and Lyz Lenz departing Substack for Patreon last fall. A 2023 decision to offer free tiers alongside paid ones turbocharged growth: with 25 million paid memberships and 100 million free ones, more than a million free members now convert to paid each month, according to the company, up from 400,000 two years ago. That momentum is attracting institutional players. Media outlet Vox began offering exclusive content on Patreon in November, and a 2025 partnership with Sony Music and Amazon's Wondery launched a podcast network that includes shows like Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness. "I think the era we're moving into is based around this direct connection between creators and their audiences," says VP of product Drew Rowny. "It's the difference between an attention economy and an intention economy." —_Alison Van Houten_ ### Discord _A group chat with global power_ Discord was a social network built for gamers. With more than 200 million monthly active users, it has since become home to communities ranging from homework help to corporate workplaces and political movements. In September, it helped topple a government. When [Nepal banned more than two dozen social media platforms](https://time.com/7315858/nepal-protests-social-media-ban-authoritarian-censorship-internet-freedom-analysis/ "undefined")—partly in response to #nepokids, a viral hashtag calling out children of the political elite for flaunting luxury lifestyles—protesters circumvented the ban and organized on Discord, turning the platform into a de facto national assembly. More than 145,000 citizens joined a single Discord server to debate who should lead their country after protests left at least 74 dead and [forced Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli to resign.](https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165808 "undefined") The consensus choice was Sushila Karki, a former chief justice known for opposing corruption, and after consulting with the military, she was sworn in on Sept. 12 as Nepal's first woman head of government—with a mandate to hold elections. Those elections, in March, delivered a landslide for [Balendra Shah](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/balendra-shah/ "undefined"), a 36-year-old rapper turned mayor of Kathmandu who had become a face of the uprising, making him the country's youngest-ever prime minister. Not all of it was clean— some servers hosted discussions about [violent tactics](https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/nepal-protests-gen-z-protestors-mobilising-through-discord-app-to-coordinate-actions-heres-what-they-discussed/ar-AA1MaOnS "undefined") and questions arose about how representative the online consensus really was. But Nepal showed just how far Discord's reach can extend. _—Juwayriah Wright_ ### Letterboxd _Promoting film_ The film discovery and review platform Letterboxd is best known as the social-media app for cinephiles, but now it’s also helping indie movies reach wider audiences. Founded by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011, the Auckland-based company’s wave of pandemic-era growth set the stage for greater influence: from January 2019 to January 2021, users jumped from more than 1 million to more than 3 million. By 2026, that number had grown to more than 28 million across more than 190 countries. (Last year alone, users published more than [143 million reviews](https://letterboxd.com/2025/#the-year-in-numbers "undefined") and logged nearly 900 million films.) Letterboxd’s immense reach, particularly among young people—more than half of its users are under 35—now shapes the film industry directly. _Everything Everywhere All at Once_ directing duo The Daniels attributed the film’s early success to a groundswell of Letterboxd enthusiasm. When A24’s _The Brutalist_ was released in 2024, nearly half the opening-weekend audience had [reportedly heard about the film](https://deadline.com/2024/12/the-brutalist-brady-corbet-andrien-brody-indie-film-box-office-1236240420/ "undefined") on the app. NBCUniversal chairperson Donna Langley [has dubbed](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/donna-langley-letterboxd-generation-fast-and-furious-tiff-1236363940/ "undefined") young moviegoers “the Letterboxd generation” and credited the platform with boosting repeat viewings of _Oppenheimer_ attendance. Major industry players—from _Anora_ director [Sean Baker](https://letterboxd.com/lilfilm/ "undefined") to musician and actor [Charli XCX](https://letterboxd.com/itscharlibb/ "undefined")—are Letterboxd users themselves. In December 2025, the company launched its Letterboxd Video Store, a TVOD rental platform surfacing films not easily available elsewhere. (In January, after just eight days on Video Store, the Gen Z road thriller _It Ends_ was picked up by Neon.) This year, Letterboxd will include seasons of television for the first time, though the addition will exist in its own silo on the app. "We want to be very careful not to upset the experience for film purists," Buchanan says. Canadian holding company Tiny is now reportedly exploring a sale of Letterboxd. "There’s nothing specific for us to share at this time,” a representative for Letterboxd said in response. “Any decision about Letterboxd’s future would involve the founders." —_Eliana Dockterman_ ### TikTok _Too big to ban_ Now that [TikTok](https://time.com/7318781/tiktok-deal-news-trump-china-details/ "undefined") is no longer caught in the middle of a geopolitical tug-of-war, the app’s builders can go back to concentrating on what it does best: getting people to scroll and buy stuff. In 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law banning the app unless the company’s Chinese owner ByteDance sold most of its ownership to a U.S. buyer. (Lawmakers cited national security and data privacy concerns.) But President Donald Trump delayed the ban several times before ByteDance reached a deal to transfer an American version of the app to a conglomerate that included Trump allies like Oracle and MGX. The deal was finalized in January. Some critics say the sale has done little to address underlying security concerns—because [ByteDance](https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2025/7289624/bytedance/ "undefined") still owns the algorithm, while also lining the pockets of Trump allies. Regardless, with the sale completed, the app keeps gaining steam. TikTok has more than 1 billion monthly users across the world. It is a major source of culture and political discourse; it drives book sales, fashion trends, and music and restaurant discovery. It is also a money printer: Its U.S. ad revenue is projected to hit [$17 billion](https://www.emarketer.com/chart/c/355694/tiktok-will-generate-over-17-billion-us-ad-revenue-2026-355694 "undefined") this year, while [TikTop Shop](https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-shop-sales-global-ecommerce/ "undefined") is now the size of eBay. _—Andrew R. Chow_ ### iHeartMedia _Radio on demand_ In an attention economy where every company struggles with discovery, iHeartMedia has an edge no digital-native platform can match—more than 860 radio stations reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month. That broadcast footprint, often dismissed as a dying asset, has become the promotional engine behind the country's biggest podcast operation: 157 million monthly downloads (the most of any U.S. podcast network, according to [Podtrac](https://analytics.podtrac.com/podcast-publisher-rankings?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com "undefined") and [Triton](https://tritondigital.com/press-releases/January-22-2026/triton-digital-announces-u-s-podcast-ranker-for-december-2025?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com "undefined")) and roughly [$564 million](https://investors.iheartmedia.com/news/news-details/2025/iHeartMedia-Inc--Reports-Results-for-2025-First-Quarter/ "undefined") in podcast revenue in 2025, up 26% from 2024\. The rest of the industry has taken notice. In November 2025, [TikTok](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/iheartmedia-tiktok-creator-podcasts-1236421512/ "undefined") partnered with iHeart to launch a creator podcast network and national radio channel; in December, [Netflix](https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/netflix-iheartmedia-exclusive-video-podcasts-1236609314/ "undefined") signed an exclusive deal to stream video versions of more than 15 iHeart shows, including _The Breakfast Club_ and _My Favorite Murder_. CEO Bob Pittman, who led the team that created MTV, frames the logic simply. "If Netflix is really TV on demand, then podcasting is radio on demand," he says. "Our secret weapon is we've got broadcast radio, which reaches everybody in America." _—Alex Stone_ ### Telegram _Encrypted-messaging giant_ Depending on who you ask, Telegram is a global beacon for free speech or a haven for illegality. The messaging app platform is beloved by many of its 1 billion monthly active users across the world for its encryption privacy, which is known for helping people in global conflict zones communicate with each other and the outside world. The app has also successfully rolled out premium subscriptions, an ad platform, and channels for news publications, among other features. But the company is in the crosshairs of governments who want to Telegram to exert more control over what happens on the platform. In 2024, founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France for alleged complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking and fraud on the platform. (The investigation is ongoing. Durov [said](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/technology/durov-telegram-liability-platforms.html "undefined") he could not be held personally responsible for users’ posts, but the company subsequently increased its enforcement actions, and France lifted a travel ban on the CEO in November.) In April, the Russian government banned the app, which was used by millions of Russians. Due to all of these successes and pressures—as well as the wild deviations in the company’s cryptocurrency, [Toncoin](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/toncoin/ "undefined")—the company has swung back and forth between profit and loss for the past few years, but remains a communication linchpin around the world. _—Andrew R. 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