New data from Brand Finance reveals Tencent overtakes Disney as global media brand value reaches $1.2 trillion in 2026
LONDON, 15 September 2026 – China’s Tencent has overtaken Disney to break into the world’s top five most valuable media brands in world, pushing Disney out of the top five for the first time since the ranking began, according to new data from Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Tencent’s brand value increased 18% to USD52.1 billion, outpacing Disney’s 15% rise to USD51.4 billion, making it the only shift within the world’s top 10 most valuable media brands.
Across the wider Media 50 2026 ranking, total brand value increased 15% to USD1.2 trillion. Every brand ranked among the top 10 recorded an increase in brand value, with eight seeing double-digit growth, underscoring the continued dominance of digital-first and technology-enabled media brands. U.S. brands continue to dominate the ranking, accounting for 30 of the top 50, contributing almost three-quarters (73% equal to USD877 billion in brand value) of the ranking’s total value.
Google (brand value up 5% to USD433.1 billion) remains the world’s most valuable media brand in 2026 and TikTok/Douyin maintains second place, its brand value increasing 45% to USD153.5 billion. In terms of brand strength, YouTube has become the world’s strongest media brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 95.3 out of 100. YouTube’s brand value also increased 32% to USD38.4 billion, supported by continued growth in advertising revenue and the rising popularity of YouTube shorts.
Richard Haigh, Global Managing Director, Brand Finance commented:
“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.”
Bloomberg (brand value up 45% to USD8.7 billion) and Thomson Reuters (brand value up 38% to USD4.4 billion) were among the biggest gainers in brand value in 2026. NBC also posted notable brand value growth, up 32% to USD11.7 billion. Brand Finance research shows these brands increased across key metrics including familiarity, reputation and engagement. In the UK, ITV (brand value up 32% to USD3 billion and BBC (brand value up 30% to USD6.8 billion) also recorded notable growth. As audiences face an increasingly fragmented media landscape, and growing concern over disinformation in news and media consumption, established brands are becoming more valuable both in numerical and brand equity terms.
Streaming and gaming brands were also among the standout performers in 2026. ROBLOX almost doubled its brand value (+90%) to reach USD5.3 billion, rising to 26th place, with Brand Finance research showing strong familiarity, understanding and consumer preference for the brand. Netflix (brand value up 26% to USD27.6 billion), Hulu (brand value up 59% to USD2.85 billion) and Roku (brand value up 56% to USD2.2 billion) also posted strong brand value growth in this year’s ranking.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
