Global publisher rankings show big groups getting bigger

Pearson retained its position as the biggest publisher in the world for the eighth consecutive year in the Global Ranking of the Publishing Industry 2016 which, despite the number one publisher’s slump, also showed ongoing growth of the top end of the list.

The annual Livres Hebdo/Bookseller list, with research compiled by Rüdiger Wischenbart Content and Consulting, revealed that though Pearson’s revenue dropped 2% to just under £4.5bn (€5.8bn) it still had a healthy lead over second-placed ThomsonReuters which had 2015 revenues of $5.8bn (€5.3bn).

When releasing its 2015 results, Pearson c.e.o. John Fallon admitted it had been a “tough year” for the company and explained that the "challenges" in some of its biggest markets had "persisted for longer than expected”, though added that its competitive performance had "remained strong".
 
Yet while Pearson stumbled slightly, the overall trend is that the big groups are getting bigger. The Global Ranking is largely based on publishers’ full-year 2015 results with data for 57 of the world’s biggest publishing groups. Those 57 publishers’ combined revenue for 2015 was €63.7bn, up 8% on 2014, a dramatic 22% rise on 2013.
 
That trend is even more pronounced at top end of the list. The 10 biggest publishers last year earned €34.6bn, 12% up on 2013 numbers and accounting for 55% of the entire list’s revenue, the top 10’s largest share since the ranking began in 2008.
 
The Bookseller will publish the entire Global Ranking and a full analysis this Friday (2nd September).