Media Coalition

What Media Coalition does

Media Coalition is a non-profit advocacy organization founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York that defends First Amendment rights on behalf of producers and distributors of constitutionally protected media, including books, movies, magazines, recordings, home video, and video games. The organization operates as a coalition funded by membership dues and contributions, with member organizations spanning major media industry trade associations such as the Motion Picture Association, the Recording Industry Association of America, the American Association of Publishers, the American Amusement Machine Association, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the Retail Industry Suppliers Association, and NATPE, alongside individual publishers and producers.

The organization's core product is legal and legislative advocacy rather than a commercial technology platform. Its work consists of litigating cases, filing amicus briefs in Supreme Court, Circuit Court, and state-level proceedings, and engaging on legislative and regulatory matters that affect expressive content. Notable operational dimensions include a small staff of 11-50 employees led by Executive Director David Horowitz, and a 50-plus-year track record of participation in consequential First Amendment cases.

Media Coalition's business model is dues-and-contribution-based, with no commercial revenue streams, pricing tiers, or transactional customers. It does not sell products or services to end users; its value proposition is collective representation and shared legal expertise for member organizations facing speech-related legal threats. There is no proprietary technology stack, software product, or AI component documented. Growth or contraction of the organization is tied to member recruitment and the volume of First Amendment issues in the broader regulatory environment rather than market expansion in a commercial sense.

Name

Media Coalition

Legal name

Media Coalition

Website

https://mediacoalition.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Media Coalition is a New York-based non-profit, founded in 1973, that defends First Amendment rights for producers and distributors of books, film, recordings, video, and games through litigation, amicus briefs, and legislative advocacy, funded by member dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

First Amendment Legal Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF), Public Media Digital Platforms & Streaming (Apps, On-demand, Podcasts) (MPABADAG)

Keywords

• First Amendment advocacy
• Free speech litigation
• Amicus briefs
• Media law defense
• Content rights protection

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and contributions: Media Coalition is funded through membership dues from book, movie, magazine, recording, home video, and video game publishers and distributors, as well as contributions to the Media Coalition Foundation which is tax deductible.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Media Coalition is a non-profit membership association that defends the First Amendment rights of producers and distributors of books, movies, magazines, recordings, home video, and video games. It provides litigation support, files amicus briefs in significant free speech cases, tracks and challenges unconstitutional legislation, and conducts public education on press freedom. The affiliated Media Coalition Foundation accepts tax-deductible contributions to support litigation and public education work.

Product overview

Media Coalition is a single advocacy organization focused on First Amendment protection. The core entity (Media Coalition) provides legislative tracking, litigation support, and amicus brief filing services for the book, movie, magazine, recording, home video, and video game industries. Media Coalition Foundation is the affiliated 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on public education and accepts tax-deductible contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Media Coalition (Membership Association) A non-profit membership association that provides First Amendment advocacy, litigation support, amicus brief filing, and legislative tracking for media producers and distributors.
• Media Coalition Foundation An affiliated 501(c)(3) foundation that supports Media Coalition's litigation and public education work and accepts tax-deductible contributions.

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NetChoicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Co-plaintiff in First Amendment litigation challenging Florida and Texas social media censorship laws. Media Coalition Foundation joined amicus briefs arguing content moderation is an editorial function protected by the First Amendment.
• Reporters Committee for Freedom of the PressmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Co-signatory on amicus briefs in NetChoice v. Moody (Florida) and other social media content moderation cases arguing First Amendment protections for editorial functions.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Co-signatory on amicus briefs in Eleventh Circuit litigation challenging Florida social media censorship law; collaborated on First Amendment arguments regarding content moderation as protected editorial discretion.
• PEN AmericamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Co-signatory on amicus briefs in social media content moderation cases defending First Amendment protections for editorial functions.
• Media Law Resource CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021Co-signatory on Eleventh Circuit amicus briefs in NetChoice v. Moody; provides legal resources for media First Amendment cases.
• American Booksellers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2020Member organization of Media Coalition; co-signatory on amicus briefs defending First Amendment rights in litigation including Porco v. Lifetime, Minnesota v. Casillas, and other cases challenging unconstitutional content restrictions.
• Association of American PublisherscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2020Member organization and co-signatory on litigation amicus briefs defending publishers' First Amendment rights in cases involving content restrictions and prior restraint.
• Authors GuildcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2020Member organization representing authors; participates in Media Coalition litigation and advocacy efforts to protect First Amendment rights affecting book authors and publishers.
• Comic Book Legal Defense FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2020Member organization defending First Amendment rights for comic book publishers and retailers; co-signatory on amicus briefs in significant First Amendment cases.
• Freedom to Read FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2020Member organization providing legal support for First Amendment and free expression issues; co-signatory on litigation amicus briefs defending protected speech.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: The Reporters Committee provides pro bono legal representation to journalists and is a leading press freedom advocate. It is a co-signatory with Media Coalition on NetChoice amicus briefs and shares the constitutional defense orientation.
• Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: CBLDF is a member of Media Coalition and defends First Amendment rights for comic book publishers and retailers. It focuses on a narrower vertical (comics) but operates the same advocacy model of amicus briefs and litigation support.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): EFF defends civil liberties in the digital world, including free expression online. It is a peer in the digital content moderation and First Amendment arena where Media Coalition has expanded through NetChoice litigation.
• First Amendment Foundation: The First Amendment Foundation focuses on public records and government transparency, with a narrower mission than Media Coalition but overlapping First Amendment advocacy constituency and litigation support role.
• National Coalition Against Censorship: NCAC is an alliance of literary, artistic, religious, and educational organizations that defends free expression. It operates as a parallel coalition to Media Coalition with similar amicus-and-advocacy structure but broader membership across civil society.
• Freedom to Read Foundation: FTRF is a member of Media Coalition and provides legal support for First Amendment and free-expression issues in libraries and publishing. It shares Media Coalition's book-and-publishing-specific focus and collaborative advocacy model.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): The ACLU is a leading First Amendment advocacy organization that files amicus briefs and litigates free-speech cases. Media Coalition and ACLU are co-signatories on multiple amicus briefs (e.g., NetChoice v. Moody), and both defend free expression across media and publishing.
• PEN America: PEN America advocates for free expression, particularly for writers and journalists. It partners with Media Coalition as a co-signatory on social media content moderation amicus briefs and shares the cross-vertical free-expression mission.
• Media Law Resource Center: MLRC is a co-signatory with Media Coalition on First Amendment amicus briefs and provides legal resources for media defense. It serves media company lawyers and shares the litigation-and-amicus structure while focusing on a broader media-law portfolio.

Emerging players

• American Booksellers Association: ABA is a member of Media Coalition but also represents bookstores directly and engages in independent advocacy on book bans. Its Free Expression wing (American Booksellers for Free Expression) operates as a complementary book-industry-specific advocacy group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mediacoalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/media-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Media Coalition