Disney named as most valuable media brand globally as ITV suffers

Walt Disney Co has come out on top in a list of the most valuable media brands in the world, according to research from Brand Finance.

The consultancy firm carried out an assessment of thousands of global media companies and produced the list of the top 25 most valuable brands.

Disney gained a AAA+ rating and a total valuation of $34.5bn, a figure which saw an increase from the same figure last year.

US companies made up the majority of the elite list, taking up 17 of the top 25 positions. Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox was in second place, ahead of NBC, Universal and CBS.

The strength of each brand was based upon such factors as marketing investment, loyalty and corporate reputation.

British entities took up three of the top list, with the BBC dropping one place from 7th to 8th, with a brand valuation of $5.87bn. ITV was in 14th position with a valuation of $3.48bn. Relx Group-owned LexisNexis made up the UK representation in the list in 23rd place.

ITV's valuation was down by 25% in comparison with when the research was carried out in 2016, as the broadcaster saw a 3% drop in advertising revenue.

"Economic uncertainty following Brexit was the reason for this dip," the report said.

The report added that the emergence and rise of on-demand streaming services has had a challenging impact on traditional media companies, saying that they pose a threat to companies such as ITV.

"Longer-term viewing habits are shifting towards on-demand channels such as Netflix and Amazon, as well as more fragmented media formats such as Youtube," the report said.