In reaction to Thomas Edison's creation of the Motion Picture Patents Company in New York in 1909, Universal Pictures opened in Hollywood in Los Angeles in 1912, on the other side of the country. 
One of the original "Little Three" major minor studios during the 1930s and 1940s, having about a 7% market share, it never owned more than small theatre circuits during these years.
In the 1950s and 1960s the company was sold to MCA, then in 1990 Japanese multinational Matsushita, in 1995 Canadian multinational Seagram, in 2000 French company Vivendi, in 2004 General Electric, forming NBC Universal.
RCA/NBC. Back in 1919 General Electric (GE) in New Jersey purchased Marconi's US assets forming Radio Corporation America, a patent trust electronics and communications firm working with Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company. In 1926, RCA formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) having two New York stations WEAF (started in 1922, initials thought to be Western Electric, AT&T, Fone) and WJZ (started in 1921 in New Jersey by Westinghouse-RCA. Since 1953 known as WABC). In 1928 RCA started RKO Pictures, see defunct movie studios at the bottom, and during that year, 1928, RCA began many years of experimental TV transmission. In 1932 RCA became an independent company after the partners were required to divest their ownership as part of a government antitrust suit. In 1939 RCA opened TV station W2XBS (since 1960 WNBC) at the opening of the New York's World Fair. In 1986 General Electric reacquired RCA/NBC, selling off all its Radio networks.
In 1996, partnering with Microsoft formed MSNBC (since Nov 2025 MS NOW) news-based TV channel & website. Between 2005 - 2012 Microsoft sold back MSNBC stake.
From 2009 - 2013 NBC Universal sold to Comcast (Xfinity), US largest cable TV & ISP.
In 2024 NBC Universal took the No. 2 spot in the US after Disney, grossing $3 billion worldwide, led by “Despicable Me 4” ($360m.US $1b.WW), “Wicked” ($470m.US $700m.WW) and “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($190m.US $540m.WW).
In 1976 Paramount launched Showtime cable television, competing with Home Box Office HBO, see below under Warners.
Paramount had ties with TV and Radio network CBS on and off through the years, and the two companies merged in 2019. CBS had purchased Channel 10 in Australia, in 2017.
In 2024 Paramount took the No. 5 spot, led by “Gladiator II” ($170m.US $460m.WW), “A Quiet Place: Day One” ($140m.US $260m.WW), then its December release “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” ($230m.US $480m.WW).
In 1972, Warner Brothers became Warner Communications, purchasing a number of major cable channels. In 1991 it merged with Time Inc becoming Time Warner, and in the process acquired Time's HBO (Home Box Office), the original cable movie channel founded in 1972. In 1996 Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting System with distribution rights to all of Ted Turner's classic movie library that he had acquired from MGM, see more on MGM below. Also CNN (Cable News Network)—the first 24-hour news channel founded by Ted Turner in 1980.
In 2018 Time Warner was acquired by AT&T, changing its name briefly to Warner Media before it was sold and merged with TV conglomerate Discovery in April 2022, forming Warner Bros. Discovery.
In 2024 Warners took the No. 3 spot in the US, led by “Dune Part Two” ($280m.US $700m.WW), followed by Godzilla x Kong ($190m.US $570m.WW).
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) In 1996 Disney purchased Capital Cities/ABC, renaming it
Disney General Entertainment Content (DGEC).ABC had started in 1927 as an NBC-operated radio network called the NBC Blue Network. It became independent in 1943, renaming itself as ABC and launching its first TV station in Philadelphia in 1948.
In 1949 Paramount had spun off some 800 theatres as United Paramount Theatres (UPT) a separate company. In 1953 UPT purchased the now struggling Radio and Television network ABC, becoming AB-PT.
In 1954 ABC made a deal with Walt Disney to provide capital for his proposed Disneyland amusement park in exchange for the right to broadcast a new Wednesday night program, Disneyland. Following major success in the 1970s, ABC was purchased by the much smaller company Capital Cities in 1986, then Disney in 1996.
- 20th Century Fox In 2019 Disney purchased 21st Century-Fox, renamed in 2013 from 20th Century Fox
Fox Films had arrived in Hollywood in 1916 from New Jersey, merging with 20th Century Pictures in 1935 to form 20th Century Fox, becoming one of the Big Five studios. In 1985 it was purchased by News Corporation (Rupert Murdoch), who subsequently founded the
FOX Television Network . FOX was launched in 1986 as a competitor to the "Big Three" NBC, CBS, and ABC.
News Corporation retained the FOX TV network after the sale of the movie studios to Disney. And today Fox News, MSNBC and CNN are the major three cable news networks.
In 2024 Disney took the No. 1 spot, grossing $5 billion worldwide led by “Inside Out 2” ($650m.US $1.7bn.WW), “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($630m.US $1.3bn.WW), and Moana 2 ($450m.US, $1bn.WW).
In 2024 Sony took the No. 4 spot, led by “Venom: The Last Dance” ($140m.US $480m.WW), “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” ($190m.US $400m.WW), and “It Ends with Us” ($140m.US $350m.WW).