Revenue from News Corp’s global newspaper operations has significantly declined, including in Australia, impacting the company’s otherwise positive financial outcomes. Despite this, Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate continues to generate substantial profits from its digital real estate investments. Advertising revenue at News Corp Australia, which encompasses The Australian, the Daily Telegraph, and the Herald Sun, fell by 5% in the past financial year to US$343m (A$530m). Additionally, circulation and subscription revenue also experienced a decline, according to financial results released early Wednesday. The UK news division, which includes The Times and The Sun, suffered even more pronounced revenue drops due to challenging advertising conditions affecting media companies worldwide. News Corp, a US-based company also listed on the ASX, owns key media assets in the US, UK, and Australia, and operates the book publisher HarperCollins. It also owns Dow Jones, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, and holds a significant stake in REA Group, the provider of realestate.com.au. While known for traditional media, News Corp identifies book publishing, the real estate platform, and Dow Jones as its “core growth pillars.” These divisions achieved record income, lifting total revenue to US$8.45b (A$13.1b), an increase of 2%. REA Group’s contribution to News Corp has been substantial, tapping into Australia’s robust property market. The company is poised to face increased competition from Domain after its recent sale to US giant CoStar. News Corp’s chief executive, Robert Thomson, termed the financial outcome as “sterling.” Furthermore, Thomson revealed ongoing negotiations with several AI companies regarding the purchase of News Corp’s intellectual property, raising concerns over compensation for content used in training AI products. Citing works such as Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal, Thomson questioned the fairness of AI engines profiting without compensating authors and journalists, vowing to protect intellectual property rights.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/aug/06/news-corp-results-growth-newspaper-revenue-falls
