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U.K. (FTSE) Media Industry Analysis

UpdatedFeb 16, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies27
  • 7D-2.1%
  • 3M-3.3%
  • 1Y-22.9%
  • YTD-4.1%

Over the last 7 days, the Media industry has dropped 2.1%, and Canal+ contributed the most with a 4.5% decline. Overall the industry is down 23% in 12 months. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 27% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Media Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Mon, 16 Feb 2026UK£22.8bUK£32.9bUK£403.5m14.3x56.6x0.7x
Wed, 14 Jan 2026UK£24.2bUK£32.9bUK£404.6m14.9x59.9x0.7x
Fri, 12 Dec 2025UK£24.1bUK£33.1bUK£397.9m14.4x60.5x0.7x
Sun, 09 Nov 2025UK£24.1bUK£33.2bUK£416.1m13.5x58x0.7x
Tue, 07 Oct 2025UK£25.0bUK£33.1bUK£405.8m14.1x61.5x0.8x
Thu, 04 Sep 2025UK£24.5bUK£33.3bUK£464.3m12.2x52.8x0.7x
Sat, 02 Aug 2025UK£25.0bUK£34.0bUK£643.0m13.2x38.9x0.7x
Mon, 30 Jun 2025UK£25.6bUK£33.6bUK£1.1b12.4x24.3x0.8x
Wed, 28 May 2025UK£25.9bUK£33.5bUK£1.1b12.9x24.6x0.8x
Fri, 25 Apr 2025UK£24.0bUK£33.7bUK£1.1b11.8x21.9x0.7x
Sun, 23 Mar 2025UK£26.4bUK£33.8bUK£1.4b12.1x18.4x0.8x
Tue, 18 Feb 2025UK£30.9bUK£28.7bUK£1.3b16x24.2x1.1x
Thu, 16 Jan 2025UK£29.0bUK£28.8bUK£1.3b14.7x22.7x1x
Sat, 14 Dec 2024UK£29.5bUK£28.7bUK£1.3b15.3x23.1x1x
Mon, 11 Nov 2024UK£28.6bUK£28.7bUK£1.3b16x22.4x1x
Wed, 09 Oct 2024UK£29.2bUK£28.7bUK£1.3b19x22.1x1x
Fri, 06 Sep 2024UK£30.3bUK£28.8bUK£1.3b17.4x23.8x1.1x
Sun, 04 Aug 2024UK£30.2bUK£28.8bUK£1.2b19.4x25.7x1x
Tue, 02 Jul 2024UK£29.8bUK£28.7bUK£1.0b18.1x29.8x1x
Thu, 30 May 2024UK£31.4bUK£28.6bUK£983.4m22x31.9x1.1x
Sat, 27 Apr 2024UK£30.7bUK£28.7bUK£993.3m20.8x30.9x1.1x
Mon, 25 Mar 2024UK£30.8bUK£28.8bUK£899.9m21.1x34.2x1.1x
Wed, 21 Feb 2024UK£30.4bUK£28.9bUK£1.2b20.6x24.7x1.1x
Fri, 19 Jan 2024UK£30.8bUK£29.6bUK£1.2b17.8x26x1x
Sun, 17 Dec 2023UK£31.3bUK£29.6bUK£1.2b18x26.4x1.1x
Tue, 14 Nov 2023UK£29.3bUK£29.0bUK£1.2b17.5x24.7x1x
Thu, 12 Oct 2023UK£30.4bUK£29.0bUK£1.2b19.4x25.7x1x
Sat, 09 Sep 2023UK£30.8bUK£28.8bUK£1.1b24.6x28.1x1.1x
Mon, 07 Aug 2023UK£32.4bUK£28.7bUK£1.1b26.8x29.7x1.1x
Wed, 05 Jul 2023UK£32.2bUK£27.8bUK£1.2b32.6x27.6x1.2x
Fri, 02 Jun 2023UK£32.1bUK£27.8bUK£1.2b32.3x27x1.2x
Sun, 30 Apr 2023UK£34.2bUK£27.8bUK£1.2b34.7x28.6x1.2x
Tue, 28 Mar 2023UK£33.8bUK£27.4bUK£1.2b21.5x27.4x1.2x
Thu, 23 Feb 2023UK£35.8bUK£26.2bUK£1.3b16.9x26.7x1.4x
Price to Earnings Ratio

26.7x


Total Market Cap: UK£35.8bTotal Earnings: UK£1.3bTotal Revenue: UK£26.2bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Media Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 31.9x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the British Media industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 56.6x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 31.9x.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 0.98x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Media industry have declined 33% per year over the last three years.
  • Meanwhile revenues for these companies have grown 7.9% per year.
  • This means that although more sales are being generated, either the cost of doing business or the level of investment back into businesses has increased, which has decreased profits.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.K. Telecom industry?

GB Market0.59%
Telecom0.17%
Media-2.15%
Cable and Satellite0%0
Advertising-1.10%
Publishing-2.83%
Broadcasting-4.72%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Advertising industry which is trading above its 3-year average PE ratio of 47.3x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 24.8%, which is higher than its past year's earnings growth of 5.9% per year.
  • Investors are most pessimistic about the Publishing industry, which is trading below its 3-year average of 14.8x.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the Broadcasting industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 34% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 57% per year.
  • In contrast, the Publishing industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 9.2% per year over the next few years.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
WPP WPPUK£2.731.7%
+UK£49.4m		-64.8%PE7.7x
RCH ReachUK£0.719.5%
+UK£19.6m		-14.9%PE4.5x
NFG Next 15 GroupUK£2.991.0%
+UK£3.0m		-10.5%PE19x
NEWS Pathos CommunicationsUK£0.281.9%
+UK£333.3k		n/aPS2.1x
MDZ MediaZestUK£0.001113.4%
+UK£267.1k		57.1%PS0.6x

Latest News

SAL
UK£2.20
SpaceandPeople
7D
4.8%
1Y
125.6%

SpaceandPeople plc's (LON:SAL) Shares Lagging The Market But So Is The Business

Feb 11
SpaceandPeople plc's (LON:SAL) Shares Lagging The Market But So Is The Business
YOU
UK£2.04
YouGov
7D
-6.0%
1Y
-45.7%
NFG
UK£2.99
Next 15 Group
7D
1.0%
1Y
-10.5%

NFG: Analyst Day Insights Will Support Earnings Quality Reappraisal

Analysts have reduced their price target for Next 15 Group to £5.10 from £5.80, reflecting a lower fair value estimate based on updated assumptions for revenue, profit margins and a slightly higher future P/E multiple. What's in the News Next 15 Group held an Analyst/Investor Day, giving the market a fresh look at management's priorities and medium term focus areas (Key Developments).
RCH
UK£0.71
Reach
7D
9.5%
1Y
-14.9%

RCH: Future Profit Margins Will Support A More Optimistic Outlook

Analysts have nudged their price target on Reach slightly higher to £2.00, reflecting small refinements to the discount rate, revenue growth expectations, profit margin assumptions, and forward P/E that leave their overall valuation view essentially unchanged. Valuation Changes Fair Value: Kept unchanged at £2.00 per share, indicating no shift in the overall target valuation figure.
MDZ
UK£0.0011
MediaZest
7D
13.4%
1Y
57.1%
FUTR
UK£4.10
Future
7D
-10.5%
1Y
-57.7%

FUTR: Dividend Outlook And Modest Revenue Guidance Will Support Upside Potential

The analyst price target for Future has been adjusted from £18.75 to about £17.16, as analysts factor in updated assumptions on revenue growth, profit margins, the discount rate, and the expected future P/E multiple. What's in the News Future is guiding for fiscal year 2026 with expectations of modest organic revenue growth in line with current consensus, and medium term targets for sustainable revenue growth of 2% to 4% (company guidance).
INF
UK£8.28
Informa
7D
-1.8%
1Y
-7.5%

INF: Future Returns Will Be Driven By Buybacks And Modestly Repriced Earnings Risk

Analysts have made only a slight upward adjustment to their price expectations for Informa, with the latest fair value estimate moving to £10.84. This reflects a blend of modestly updated profit margin and discount rate assumptions, alongside mixed recent price target changes from Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and Citi.
BMY
UK£4.44
Bloomsbury Publishing
7D
-1.3%
1Y
-32.7%

What Bloomsbury Publishing Plc's (LON:BMY) P/E Is Not Telling You

Feb 07
What Bloomsbury Publishing Plc's (LON:BMY) P/E Is Not Telling You
WPP
UK£2.73
WPP
7D
1.7%
1Y
-64.8%

WPP: AI Uncertainty And Prolonged Turnaround Will Reshape Balance Sheet And Deal Prospects

Narrative Update: WPP Analysts have reset their price targets on WPP to £3.65. This reflects a more cautious stance as they weigh ongoing AI related uncertainty, recent target cuts and views that the company still faces a prolonged turnaround and balance sheet challenges.
ITV
UK£0.81
ITV
7D
-3.9%
1Y
6.7%

ITV: Comcast Talks Will Tighten Risk Around Core Broadcasting Cash Flows

Analysts have trimmed their price target on ITV to £1.05 from £1.12, citing updated assumptions on the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E that feed into a more cautious balance between risk and return for the shares. Analyst Commentary JPMorgan has cut its price target on ITV to £1.05 from £1.12 while keeping an Overweight rating.
SFOR
UK£0.24
S4 Capital
7D
-3.1%
1Y
-29.7%

SFOR: Bearish View Will Focus On Tougher 2025 Revenue Guidance

Analysts have nudged their price target on S4 Capital slightly higher to reflect a modest upward revision of £0.04 in expected valuation, citing updated assumptions around discount rates, profit margins, and a lower future P/E multiple as key inputs to their refreshed view. Analyst Commentary Recent research on S4 Capital highlights a mix of cautious and more constructive views on the shares, with price targets adjusted in both directions.
NEWS
UK£0.28
Pathos Communications
7D
1.9%
1Y
n/a
CAN
UK£3.00
Canal+
7D
-5.6%
1Y
57.6%
FOUR
UK£38.40
4imprint Group
7D
-2.3%
1Y
-30.8%
TMG
UK£0.19
Mission Group
7D
1.3%
1Y
-37.7%

The Mission Group plc's (LON:TMG) Business Is Trailing The Industry But Its Shares Aren't

Jan 21
The Mission Group plc's (LON:TMG) Business Is Trailing The Industry But Its Shares Aren't