The average person spends a whopping 473 minutes per day consuming media. That’s right; a third of our entire day is spent watching, listening, reading and interacting with digital content. Innovations in tech have provided us access to an infinite amount of content at the touch of a button, and companies are finding creative ways to get their products in front of our eyes and ears.
San Francisco is one of the biggest innovators in media. The Bay Area is overflowing with pioneering companies finding creative ways to get us to consume their news, entertainment, movies, social media, podcasts and much more.
Top Media Companies in San Francisco
- Stitcher
- Substack
- Kanopy
- Fandor
- Patreon
- The Athletic
- Philo
Check out 19 of the most promising media companies in San Francisco.
Founded: 2011
What they do: To improve the TV experience, Philo is empowering customers to determine what they watch and how they watch it. Not only can subscribers choose between over 60 channels, but they can also record unlimited live and future shows to their DVR for up to 12 months. From Fire Tablets to Mac browsers, viewers can select their ideal format for an even more personalized streaming atmosphere.
Founded: 2005
What they do: Reddit is home to a community of more than 430 million active monthly users sharing information within smaller communities of users, or “subreddits”, with various forms of media, content and opinions shared freely throughout the site. The website is often considered a go-to source for breaking news and staying up-to-date with topics across nearly every topic, industry or niche and features over 2.6+ million active subreddits as of January 2021.
Founded: 2006
What they do: Crunchyroll is home to the world’s largest collection of anime and manga fan experiences, offering everything from video content to merchandise, games, event invitations and more. Users can watch full length episodes of their favorite shows, keep tabs on the industry via expert reporting and chat with other users on the site’s forums for a completely interactive experience unlike other streaming services.
Founded: 2007
What they do: Medium has created one of the most widely used open publishing platforms on the internet, empowering people to share their biggest ideas and turn them into content that can be shared with an enormous user base. The website allows users to discover new perspectives and delve into insights that will allow them to further develop their ideas, all without the gatekeeping found in other common publishing platforms.
Founded: 2016
What they do: The Athletic is a subscription-based sports journalism platform focusing on local sports news. The company prides itself on “no ads, no clickbait” in order to give readers a more in-depth look into the sports and athletes they care about the most. The media site currently covers both professional and college sports in about 48 cities across North America.
Founded: 2013
What they do: Patreon helps content creators, across most forms of media, connect with fans and monetize their work through a membership business format. Without catering to the needs of advertisers because of a membership model, platform users, like streamers, musicians, journalists and podcasters, are able to produce the content they want and connect with fans on a deeper level.
Founded: 2002
What they do: TuneIn brings listeners music, news, podcasts and live sports from more than 120,000 radio stations all over the world. The listening platform features everything from local stations to popular radio stations like “Hot97,” sports channels like ESPN and news podcasts from NPR, Bloomberg and BBC.
Founded: 2007
What they do: The Stitcher app gives listeners access to more than 100,000 on-demand podcasts. The media outlet lets listeners build podcast playlists, save their all-time favorite episodes and discover new shows via the apps listening recommendation engine. Stitcher features the most popular podcasts in the world across tons of genres.
Founded: 2017
What they do: Substack helps journalists, authors, bloggers and more create their own miniature media companies in the form of paid newsletters. The platform gives content creators all the tools to create their newsletter content, reach a wider audience and monetize their product in the form of monthly paid plans.
Founded: 1975
What they do: Industrial Light & Magic creates visual effects for the movie and attraction industries. The media company, founded by filmmaker George Lucas, has worked on the visual effects for box office hits like “Avengers: End Game,” “Black Panther,” “Star Wars: Rogue One” and “The Revenant.” Since its inception, Industrial Light & Magic has won 15 Academy Awards for “Best Visual Effects” and has had a large role in creating seven of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all-time.
Founded: 2015
What they do: Rheo’s app presents a personalized, endless stream of trending videos meant to fit whatever mood a viewer is currently in. Do you need a good laugh? Maybe you want to know how to make a martini. Rheo users select from a wide range of genres (like laugh, learn, move, chill or taste) and the app will present them with an endless stream of curated videos.
Founded: 2008
What they do: Kanopy partners with public libraries and universities to give users access to a library of more than 30,000 films. With just a library card or student ID, Kanopy users can stream ad-free movies, documentaries, classic and foreign films.
Founded: 1983
What they do: Mondo Media produces animated short films and series targeted at teens and young adults. The media company, best known for their series “Happy Tree Friends,” also features cartoon games and merchandise.
Founded: 2009
What they do: Fandor is a streaming platform filled with independent, documentary, foreign and classic films. The media company currently boasts more than 4,000 titles that can be streamed on your phone, tablet, TV or computer.
Founded: 2015
What they do: Radish is a mobile-focused platform for serialized fiction storytelling. With the Radish app, readers have access to thousands of serials (across genres like mystery, young adult and sci-fi) and chatrooms that allow readers to engage and discuss with others. The platform also gives writers the opportunity to publish their work on a weekly basis, monetize their creations and connect with their fanbase.
Founded: 1993
What they do: WIRED is a news outlet that focuses on current and future trends in technology. The site features content on everything from technology in business and culture to reviews of the latest gear. The WIRED website, along with its monthly magazine, reach an audience of more than 14 million readers each month.
Founded: 1994
What they do: CNET is a media platform that provides tech product reviews, news, “how-to’s” and “best products” lists. The site reviews everything from the newest phones to the best cars and drones. Additionally, the “how-to” section has a wealth of information on problem-solving for gaming, smart homes and every tech topic in between.
Founded: 2014
What they do: Tubi is a free streaming platform filled with thousands of movies and TV shows. The platform, which is streamable on virtually any device, is able to show more than 12,000 popular movies and TV shows for free because the content is ad-supported, meaning that viewers will see a few advertisements throughout the show.
Founded: 1998
What they do: Rotten Tomatoes is a movie review aggregation and entertainment news platform. Have you ever thought about seeing a movie, but weren’t sure if it’s worth the time and money? Rotten Tomatoes has news, important information and both critic and crowdsourced reviews for virtually every movie to give the user a better idea of what they’re about to see (or not see).
