There are lots of news sources out there but there are very few media owners by comparison. Who Owns the UK Media? Report from the Media Reform Coalition claims that the concentrated ownership in the UK has now reached ‘dangerous levels.
The 8th edition report claims that since 2023, the biggest media companies in the country have expanded and cemented their dominance when it comes to UK national and local newspapers. This, according to the Media Reform Coalition has been made worse by unchecked corporate takeovers, media mergers, and Big Tech platforms.
Key findings
One of the most notable findings of the 2025 report is that 7 out of 15 of online platforms that are used to read news in Britain are under the control of X Corp, Google and Meta.
In terms of national newspapers employing professionals with a journalism degree from institutions such as /schoolofjournalism.co.uk/, 90% are owned by just three companies, Reach, News UK, and DMG Media. This is a 20% rise in UK market concentration in just 11 years.
Newspaper markets
The local newspaper market is equally concentrated with 51% of all of Britain’s 882 local online news websites and newspapers being controlled by two companies, National World and Newsquest. This is reflected in figures for Local Democracy Reporters, which are funded by Britain’s television license fee, where 80% are under Newsquest contracts.
Radio is also mentioned, with Global and Bauer – just two firms – owning a massive two-thirds of national DAB stations and over 80% of analogue local stations.
