Tencent overtakes Disney in media ranking

The move marks the first time Disney has fallen outside the top five since the ranking began.

Tencent has overtaken Disney to enter the world’s five most valuable media brands for the first time, according to Brand Finance’s 2026 Media 50 ranking. Tencent’s brand value rose 18 percent to $52.1 billion, narrowly surpassing Disney’s 15 percent increase to $51.4 billion.

The move marks the first time Disney has fallen outside the top five since the ranking began. Across the full Media 50 2026 ranking, combined brand value increased 15 percent to $1.2 trillion, with all of the top 10 brands recording increases.

Tencent moves ahead of Disney as media brand value rises

Google retained its position as the world’s most valuable media brand, with brand value increasing 5 percent to $433.1 billion. TikTok/Douyin remained in second place after its brand value increased 45 percent to $153.5 billion.

U.S. brands continued to account for the majority of the ranking, with 30 of the top 50 brands contributing $877 billion, or 73 percent, of the ranking’s total brand value.

Richard Haigh, Global Managing Director, Brand Finance: "Disney getting nudged out of the top five is unprecedented and highlights the continued reorganisation of the industry landscape as social media continues to surge. Eight of the top 10 brands are social media giants. Short form content and personalised digital showing people want they want to hear and see is winning the trust and credibility battle over traditional media. It’s somewhat ironic that content platforms with less regulation to prevent disinformation are becoming the more trusted source."

YouTube becomes the strongest media brand globally

YouTube was identified as the world’s strongest media brand, recording a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 95.3 out of 100. Its brand value rose 32 percent to $38.4 billion, with Brand Finance linking the increase to growth in advertising revenue and the popularity of YouTube Shorts.

Several established media brands also recorded substantial increases. Bloomberg’s brand value rose 45 percent to $8.7 billion, while Thomson Reuters increased 38 percent to $4.4 billion. NBC recorded a 32 percent increase to $11.7 billion.

In the UK, ITV’s brand value increased 32 percent to $3 billion, while the BBC rose 30 percent to $6.8 billion. Brand Finance research found that these brands recorded improvements across metrics including familiarity, reputation and engagement.

Streaming and gaming brands record strong growth

Streaming and gaming companies were among the other significant performers in the ranking. Roblox increased its brand value by 90 percent to $5.3 billion, placing it 26th, with Brand Finance citing familiarity, consumer understanding and preference as factors in its performance.

Netflix increased 26 percent to $27.6 billion, while Hulu’s brand value rose 59 percent to $2.85 billion. Roku recorded a 56 percent increase to $2.2 billion.

The ranking indicates continued growth across digital-first media businesses while established news and entertainment brands also recorded increases in brand value and measures of brand equity.

www.brandfinance.com

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