Google now worth over $80 billion

June 8, 2005



Internet search engine, Google, saw its valuation top the $80bn mark this week, making it the world's most valuable media company - ahead of Time Warner, Walt Disney and Viacom. Since its flotation on the NASDAQ in August 2004, it has seen its share price increase dramatically from $85 to over $280 today.

Despite being more valuable than Time Warner, which is worth $78bn, Google's annual sales amount to less than a 13th of the far more diversified and traditional media giant. Google's revenues are $3.2bn a year versus the $42bn a year that Time Warner generates. The gap in valuations is partly justified by investors based upon Google's much higher growth rate.

For comparison the top media companies in the world are, by market capitalization (as of June 6, 2005):


 * 1) Google; $80bn
 * 2) Time Warner; $78bn
 * 3) Disney; $55bn
 * 4) Viacom; $54bn
 * 5) Yahoo; $51bn
 * 6) News Corporation; $49bn