UK 300: top media and advertising employers
…as voted for by students and graduates
The UK 300 features the most comprehensive annual survey of student opinion on graduate careers, employers and their own job hunts; more than 71,000 students and graduates took part. The survey determines not only the most popular 300 graduate employers in the UK overall, but also the most popular graduate employers in a range of career sectors, including in media and advertising.
The top graduate employers in the media and advertising are listed in the table below. Perhaps unsurprisingly, big names dominate this list and it can be argued that broadcasters take the top three slots (although they have increasingly taken on other media streams, too). There are no new entrants, but there has been considerable movement in the ranks: only the BBC remains in the top spot. ITV has had a good year, taking the second spot from Channel 4.
Students interested in employers in these sectors…
- are the least likely of students in the survey to perceive ‘training and development’ as a ‘very important’ factor when choosing an employer – only 60% of students interested in media and advertising did so, the lowest percentage across all sectors
- are more likely than the average student to use Instagram for careers purposes (21% had done so, versus 16% on average)
- are more likely than average to have undertaken an internship by their final year (42% of finalists had, versus 39% on average) – and 70% of those internships were directly in the students’ sector of interest.
NB: Percentages have been rounded.

BBC
Last year: 1
Media, journalism and publishing

ITV
Last year: 5
Media, journalism and publishing

Penguin Random House
Last year: 3
Media, journalism and publishing

Channel 4
Last year: 2
Media, journalism and publishing

Bloomsbury Publishing
Last year: 7
Media, journalism and publishing

Guardian Media Group
Last year: 6
Media, journalism and publishing

The Independent
Last year: 8
Media, journalism and publishing

HarperCollins
Last year: 10
Media, journalism and publishing

Condé Nast
Last year: 9
Marketing, advertising and PR
View related sector lists: Top consumer goods (manufacturing and marketing) employers