Below is a summary of major media mergers and acquisitions that took place from the 1980’s through 2004 (Common Cause, 2004).

January 1986	buys  for $3.5 billion. Capital Cities/ABC Inc. is created.
June 1986	purchases , parent company of and NBC television network for $6.4 billion. At this time, it was the largest non-oil acquisition in U.S. history.
November 1989	buys for $3.4 billion.
January 1990	merges withcreating ,world’s biggest media conglomerate ($14.1 billion merger).
January 1991	Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of Japan purchase   for $6.9 billion.
September 1993	buys , parent company of   for $1.1 billion. This was the biggest  takeover in U.S. newspaper history.
March 1994	purchasesfor $8.4 billion
July 1994	After winning a bidding war against QVC Inc,,acquires  for $10 billion.
June 1995	purchases  from Matsushita (Japanese corporation) for $5.7 billion. The new entity is called .
November 1995	acquiresfor $5.4 billion.
February 1996	buys Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion. A new media conglomerate in movies, television and publishing is created.
October 1996	merges with (a $7.6 billion merger).
December 1996	Two of the biggest radio station operators combine: Westinghouse Electric Corp.’s CBS unit buys Infinity Broadcasting Co. for $4.7 billion
December 1997	Westinghouse Electric Corp. changes its name to   . after selling its traditional businesses, including power-generated equipment and light bulbs.
December 1998	The largest initial public offering (IPO) in the media industry:  sells 17 percent of Infinity Broadcasting Corp., raising $2.9 billion dollars.
December 1998	purchases for $10.4 billion.
August 1999	agrees to buy , the leading syndicator of television programs, for $2.5 billion.
September 1999	announces deal to purchase for $81.5 billion. This is one of the largest media deals in U.S. history.
October 1999	announces a $23 billion dollar takeover of the number two radio chain, AMFM.
January 2000	merger with . This is the largest-ever combination in the media industry ($135 billion merger)
March 2000	(publishes Chicago Tribune) buys Times Mirror Co., (publisher of the Los Angeles Times)  for $6.5 billion.
June 2000	, and  merge. A fully integrated global media and communications company for the wired and wireless world is created.
November 2000	buys   for $3 billion.
October 2001	tries to become the dominant satellite television provider in the United States through a merger with    (a $25.8 billion deal).  In 2002, the U.S. Justice Department thwarted the merger.
December 2001	French Media firm,buys for $10.3 billion.
December 2001	merges with broadband unit. This $52 billion dollar merger will lead to a subscriber base of 22.3 million subscribers.
April 2003	acquires control of (parent company of DirecTV.) for a $6.6 billion.
July 2003	acquires and its subsidiaries AltaVista and AlltheWeb
September 2003	US regulators approve the $3.2 billion purchase  by  . The new company is the biggest U.S. Spanish-language television and radio networks provider.
October 2003	is created through the combination of  and cable channels and GE’s .  This $43 billion entertainment powerhouse was created to compete leading entertainment companies, such as Walt Disney Co. and Viacom Inc.
February 2004	buys  Wireless Services Inc. for $41 billion. This created the U.S.’s largest  mobile phone company.
August 2004	is created by the merger of   and .  The new entity is jointly owned by the two companies (50/50).
November 2004	buys , a top provider of business news and financial information, for $519 million.

75 Media Mega Mergers. Common Cause.

 Next: Timeline of Media Mega Mergers (2005- )