![Taylor Swift Named Most Powerful Woman U.K. Media](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/taylor_swift_victorias_secret.jpg?w=2000&h=1126&crop=1)
Taylor Swift Victoria's Secret - P 2014
AP Images/InvisionLarry Page is the most powerful person in U.K. media, according to the annual MediaGuardian 100 power list, published by British newspaper The Guardian.
The Google boss topped the list for the fourth time, despite recent controversies regarding Google’s alleged avoidance of U.K. tax and despite the (nonbinding) decision by the European Parliament last week calling for the Internet giant to be broken up.
Page was joined at the top by a number of fellow Silicon Valley power players, including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg at No. 2, Apple’s Tim Cook at No. 3 and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who has also come under fire for U.K. tax avoidance schemes, at No. 5. Ahead of Bezos was BBC director general Tony Hall, who fell one slot to the fourth position this year.
Related Stories
Singer Taylor Swift was the highest-placed woman on this year’s list, marking her debut on the MediaGuardian 100 at No. 10. Her position was accredited to her recent decision to withdraw her music from Spotify and “bringing the issue of artist remuneration into the spotlight.”
Read more Taylor Swift Explains Why She Dumped Spotify
The next highest female was another new entry. Rona Fairhead, who was recently named head of the BBC Trust, the body that governs the British public broadcaster, was given the 17th spot, one place higher than X Factor creator and reality TV mogul Simon Cowell.
Fellow new entrant was Netflix chief Ted Sarandos at 21. Netflix now has some 2.5 million subscribers in the U.K. and is preparing for its first U.K. production, The Crown.
The dramatic rise of Benedict Cumberbatch over the past 12 months was rewarded with a 50th position ranking on the list, while Scandal showrunner Shonda Rhimes came in 58th.
Read more Benedict Cumberbatch Confirmed as Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’
One noted absentee was Elisabeth Murdoch, who last year was 17th. In September it emerged that Murdoch would be stepping down as nonexecutive chair of the Shine Group — owned by her father’s (Rupert Murdoch) 21st Century Fox — once it had merged with Endemol and Core Media.
Sophie Turner Laing, set to become the CEO of the Shine/Endemol/Core Media production powerhouse, was 2014’s third highest-placed women at 19.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day