From lens to screen: Sustainability in the broadcasting industry
Sustainability in the broadcasting industry - can it be achieved?
We look behind the cameras and billboards to examine the sustainability credentials of the companies controlling our media consumption.
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Global media industry heavyweight CBS score higher than Australian local providers when it comes to sustainability.
The media industry is no longer as straight forward as it used to be. Recent years has seen media transforming from pure news and entertainment sources to multifaceted customer experience and lifestyle businesses.
Now more than ever, media is all around us and the main driver of how we receive and disseminate information. Given the power of these platforms, we thought it prudent to examine the sustainability credentials of some of the top media companies.
Most of the media companies picked for the analysis scored lower in sustainability (average of 38) than the Sustainable Platform database (of 18,000 listed companies) average score of 50.
The leader in the group is US-based CBS Corporation (owners of Network 10 here in Australia) with an SDG score of 54. In second place is Australian based Seven West Media Limited with an SDG score of 43. This is followed by Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited scores 39. Finally, California based Netflix Inc, an SDG score of 14.
The sector's largest contribution to sustainability is overwhelmingly via its services contribution to the basic need of communications and knowledge.
There was no controversial exposure identified in the group.
Interestingly, unlike other industries which tend to contribute to one SDG more so than any others, the companies analysed touched on several of the SDGs; SDG Goal 5: Gender Equality, SDG Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG Goal 16: Peace & Justice Strong Institutions, SDG Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
*All SDG score and data are provided by Sustainable Platform based on data as at 17 July 2020.
Top contributing goals
Of all the 17 SDGs, the advertising agencies analysed contribute most to these below goals:
SDG 1: No Poverty
SDG 5: Gender Equality
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainable Platform is a sustainability information service only to institutional investors and doesn’t provide general or personal financial advice.