Welcome to the Map Page! I post all my Media Universe Map here.
THE AUGUST 2026 MAP: 6TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
My name is Evan Shapiro. Many people refer to me as a Media Cartographer. This map is why. Since 2020, using only publicly available data and powerpoint, I have been mapping the Media ecosystem, redrawing it each month and posting it here.
The ratios on the map are not subjective opinion... they’re maths. Each entity is represented to scale by their current valuation - the fairest way I could find to portray the gravitational pull of power in the info-entertainment-tech industrial complex and track the trajectories of all its major players over time.
As a point of comparison, here is my first Media Map, from August 2020.
I have updated this map every month since the first. I’ve published more than 100 versions - all made with a palette of Excel and PowerPoint. This process has changed my brain. Drafting these maps, by hand, in PowerPoint; digging into the earning reports of every company on the map quarter after quarter; tracking the trajectories of all the planets, month after month, year after year, offers useful and unique perspective.
You can see maps from each of the last six years at the bottom of this page.
Changes to the map and universe these last six years have been immense - following a trajectory the first map revealed. With each edition, the center of gravity has shifted further toward Big Tech. For perspective, at its last valuation, OpenAI, a company without a demonstrable business model, is now worth more than Netflix, WBD, Paramount, Disney, Fox, and Comcast, combined. For countless reasons beyond this map, the universe on this map is on the brink of its greatest change since I began mapping.
However, after this mapping, the August 2026 map - The 6th Anniversary Edition - is the last map I will make, before we entirely reinvent it and set it free into the wild.
This is a sneak peek at our new, user-driven, fully-automated Media Universe Map we will premiere, right here, on October 14. The video shows a test drive of the desktop and mobile maps. This new map will be entirely interactive, live and dynamic, including a time machine to take you back to Media Universe Maps from even before I started making them.
I’ve come to realize that to unlock the real value of my Media Universe Map, I need to set it free. Each new version has reliably sparked discussion in our community. Many of the best improvements I’ve made have come from reader comments and DMs. However, until now, it’s been too much monologue not enough conversation.
This new worldview will allow you to drive the conversation - to double-click on individual companies, deep-dive into specific segments, to zoom out for new views, and look back across longer trajectories. Crucially, it will be a live platform, continuously updated and controlled by the user, revealing different things to each visitor, creating more dynamic conversation and value in the community.
Opening the aperture of my mapping opened new worlds to my experience and introduced me to new people all over the planet. I’m so grateful for the enormous value you all bring me every day. I am really nervous about the changes we’re making and incredibly excited to share them and start a new conversation with you.
Much of this newsletter is free for everyone. But to help us fund all this cartography, we sometimes ask you to upgrade to Premium Peacenik - aka paid subscriber. If you want to join us in that effort, there’s a special offer below, just for you! If not, no worries — please keep reading for free.
Enjoy the Universe!
ESHAP
