Global media and publishing company News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA) reported Q3 CY2025 results beating Wall Street’s revenue expectations , with sales up 2.3% year on year to $2.14 billion. Its GAAP profit of $0.20 per share was 9.4% above analysts’ consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy News Corp? Find out in our full research report. News Corp (NWSA) Q3 CY2025 Highlights: Revenue: $2.14 billion vs analyst estimates of $2.10 billion (2.3% year-on-year growth, 2% beat) EPS (GAAP): $0.20 vs analyst estimat ...

Core Viewpoint - Major news publishers are facing lawsuits from Rich Media Club LLC, which claims that they are infringing on its patents related to online advertising tools [1][2][15]. Group 1: Legal Context - Rich Media Club has filed lawsuits against prominent publishers including Comcast, Guardian Media Group, Gannett, News Corp's UK publishing arm, and MediaNews Group [1]. - The lawsuits come at a time when web publishers are experiencing declining search traffic and a volatile advertising market, with potential legal costs exceeding $1 million for each publisher [2]. - Legal experts suggest that these lawsuits exhibit characteristics of a "patent troll," targeting end users rather than technology companies [3][4]. Group 2: Rich Media Club's Background - Rich Media Club was established in 2002 as an IP holding company for patents related to its adtech arm, RealVu, which focuses on ad viewability technologies [11]. - The company holds several US patents for ad viewability solutions, including "ad refreshing" and "lazy loading," which are commonly used by publishers to enhance user experience [12][14]. Group 3: Patent Enforcement and Legal Strategy - Rich Media Club has initiated a patent enforcement campaign since 2022, previously suing Duration Media for similar patent infringements [17]. - The company is seeking damages from the publishers, claiming lost profits or a "reasonable royalty" to be determined at trial [16]. - Rich Media Club prefers to enter licensing agreements rather than pursue litigation, although it has indicated a willingness to file further lawsuits if necessary [22]. Group 4: Industry Implications - The current trend of elevated refusals to institute inter partes reviews (IPRs) by the USPTO may lead to an increase in patent troll cases, as companies find it more challenging to contest patents [20][21].

Core Insights - Meta has engaged in discussions with news organizations such as Axel Springer, Fox Corp, and News Corp regarding content licensing for its AI tools, marking a significant shift in its strategy towards news content [1][4][10] - The company currently offers several AI tools, including the Meta AI Assistant, which is integrated across its platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp [1][2] Group 1: Licensing Discussions - The talks focus on licensing news and other content for use in Meta's AI bots, indicating a potential return to content partnerships [2][4] - Some discussions are still in early stages and may not lead to finalized deals, reflecting a cautious approach from Meta [4] Group 2: Historical Context - Previously, Meta had signed deals worth tens of millions of dollars with major publishers like the New York Times and Washington Post for its News Tab, but it announced in 2022 that it would phase out these payments [5][10] - The rationale for this shift was that most users do not visit Facebook primarily for news, leading to a reduced investment in that area [5] Group 3: Impact on Publishers - Following the cessation of previous deals, many publishers reported a decline in traffic from Facebook, although some have recently observed an increase in traffic [6] - The rise of AI has disrupted the publishing industry, with tech firms scraping content from websites to train their models, prompting publishers to seek ways to protect their content [6][8] Group 4: Competitive Landscape - Other companies, such as OpenAI and Amazon, have been quicker to establish licensing agreements with media organizations, highlighting a competitive environment in content licensing [8][9]