UK Media & Publishing Pays Suppliers Significantly Faster Than Average

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 39
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 69.2/100
• UK average: 50.0/100
• Media and Publishing Sector Advantage: 19.2 points above UK average

What Stands Out

The UK Media and Publishing sector appears to be considerably better at paying suppliers on time compared to the average UK company, scoring almost 20 points higher. However, there's a significant range in performance, indicating some companies are dragging down the sector's overall reputation. It is important to remember that payment speed can be impacted by cashflow, profitability and whether a company is actively using credit, as explained by late payment calculator.

Best Payers

1. SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT UK LIMITED - 98.8/100
2. ENTERTAINMENT MAGPIE LIMITED - 97/100
3. WORLD OF BOOKS LIMITED - 95.3/100
4. SMITHS NEWS TRADING LIMITED - 90.6/100
5. GUARDIAN MEDIA GROUP PLC - 87/100

Worst Payers

1. WH SMITH TRAVEL LIMITED - 38.98/100
2. THE ORION PUBLISHING GROUP LIMITED - 41.55/100
3. WILLIAM WILSON LTD. - 44.73/100
4. PARLOPHONE RECORDS LIMITED - 46.7/100
5. THE BOOK DEPOSITORY LIMITED - 46.7/100

Regional Patterns

While London has the highest number of companies represented in the data (24), its average PaymentCheck score of 67.4 is notably lower than regions with fewer companies, such as "Unknown" (92.9 avg, 2 companies), suggesting geographical location isn't necessarily a predictor of payment performance.

Despite outperforming the UK average overall, the disparity between top and bottom payers—a nearly 60-point gap between Sony Music and WH Smith Travel—reveals inconsistencies in payment practices across the Media and Publishing sector.