Last year's position : 1

In Agenda Setters terms a top three without Rupert Murdoch is like the Beatles without Lennon and McCartney but this year sees a surprisingly low showing for last year's number 1.

This must be attributed to a second-guessing of the 72-year-old's intentions to retire. Speculation has been rife in the past couple of years that he is set to hand over the reins to his children Lachlan, Elizabeth and James which will clearly dilute the unrivalled power wielded by their father.

But for now Murdoch still sits on the throne of the largest media empire in the world and arguably holds more influence over the way we think, work, spend and live than any other person on the planet.

In terms of content and delivery of mass media Murdoch is king. In terms of the part technology plays in that process, it is absolute.