News Corporation (NWS), headquartered in New York, creates and distributes authoritative and engaging content, and other products and services worldwide. Valued at $17 billion by market cap, the company delivers news, financial insights, entertainment, book publishing, digital real estate services, and subscription video content through influential publications like The Wall Street Journal, The Times, New York Post, MarketWatch, and more. The global media and information services leader is expected to anno ...

Rupert Murdoch looks on, at the White House, in Washington, U.S. Feb. 3, 2025.Why let a $10 billion lawsuit get in the way of old friends having some chicken and gravy for dinner?President Donald Trump last week dined at the White House with Rupert Murdoch and that media baron's key lieutenants, despite Trump's ongoing defamation lawsuit over Murdoch's Wall Street Journal reporting that he sent a "bawdy" 50th birthday letter to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.Breaker Media on Tuesday ...

Core Points - The Murdoch succession drama has concluded with a $3.3 billion settlement, granting Lachlan Murdoch control over the family's media assets, including Fox News, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal [1][2] - The settlement resolves ongoing legal disputes that had cast uncertainty over the future direction of Fox Corp. and News Corp. [2] - Rupert Murdoch's desire to maintain the conservative orientation of his media empire influenced the decision to solidify Lachlan's leadership [4][5] Group 1: Succession and Control - The succession battle became public when three of Rupert Murdoch's children attempted to block changes to his trust that would favor Lachlan [3] - Rupert Murdoch aimed to ensure that Lachlan, who aligns ideologically with him, would lead the company to preserve its conservative values [4][5] - As part of the settlement, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James agreed to relinquish their shares in the family trust and any future roles [6] Group 2: Family Dynamics - The legal disputes highlighted divisions within the Murdoch family, particularly between James, Elisabeth, Prudence, and their father [7] - Rupert Murdoch's concerns about the more liberal views of his son James motivated him to limit the influence of his other children [6] - The resolution of the disputes involved dropping ongoing litigation, indicating a move towards family unity [8]

Core Viewpoint - News Corp's CEO Robert Thomson highlighted the challenges posed by AI to intellectual property, referencing Donald Trump's situation in the context of the company's fiscal fourth quarter earnings report [1][3][5]. Group 1: Company Earnings and AI Impact - Thomson cleverly referenced Trump in the earnings report without directly mentioning the lawsuit or Epstein, indicating a potential thaw in relations between Murdoch and Trump [2]. - The earnings release emphasized the irony of Trump, as an intellectual property holder, being affected by AI, despite his support for tech firms in AI development [3]. - Thomson stated that companies are investing tens of billions in data centers, chips, and energy generation, and they must also invest significantly in content to ensure a healthy content ecosystem [8]. Group 2: Intellectual Property and Legal Actions - News Corp has been actively pursuing legal options to protect its intellectual property, including a lawsuit against AI firm Perplexity for allegedly using its content without permission [4][9]. - Thomson stressed the importance of protecting intellectual property rights, arguing that undermining these rights would damage America's creative advantage [5]. - The company is adopting a "woo-and-sue" strategy towards AI firms, indicating a dual approach of collaboration and legal action to safeguard its content [9].

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net income from continuing operations increased by 67% to $107 million in the third quarter compared to the prior year, while revenues were $2 billion, up 1% year over year despite currency headwinds [6][24] - Total segment EBITDA rose 12%, with overall margin expanding from 13% to 14.4% [6][24] - Adjusted revenues increased by 2%, and adjusted total segment EBITDA grew by 15% [7][24] - Reported EPS from continuing operations doubled to $0.14, while adjusted EPS was $0.17 compared to $0.13 a year ago [7][24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - **Dow Jones**: Revenue grew by 6% to $575 million, with digital revenue accounting for 82% of total segment revenues [25][26] - **Digital Real Estate**: Revenues increased by 5% to $406 million, with segment EBITDA up 19% [28] - **Book Publishing**: Revenue rose by 2% to $514 million, with EBITDA increasing by 3% [33] - **News Media**: Revenue decreased by 8% to $514 million, but EBITDA grew by 22% due to cost-saving initiatives [34] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Dow Jones digital circulation revenue expanded by 14%, marking the fastest growth rate in almost three years, with total consumer subscriptions surpassing 6 million [11][25] - REA maintained a significant audience lead with nearly four times as many average monthly visits as Domain [14] - News Corp Australia's digital subscriptions reached 1.1 million, with news.com.au achieving 292 million page views per month [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on three core pillars for growth: Dow Jones, digital real estate, and book publishing, following the sale of Foxtel [7][22] - Continuous exploration of structural options to maximize shareholder returns is emphasized, with a commitment to quality journalism amid political challenges [9][62] - The company aims to enhance its digital offerings and capitalize on the growth of AI while protecting its intellectual property [10][19] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management believes the current political turbulence is temporary and anticipates robust growth potential in the U.S. economy [5][6] - The company is monitoring economic trends closely and expects the direct impact of tariffs to be immaterial [22] - Future growth is expected to be driven by the professional information business and ongoing cost discipline [35][36] Other Important Information - The sale of Foxtel resulted in a significant reduction of debt on the balance sheet and provided cash for shareholder returns [7][8] - The company has been upgraded to investment grade by Moody's and S&P, enhancing its financial flexibility [8][53] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on Dow Jones business investment for the fourth quarter - Management indicated no significant increase in investment, focusing on both consumer and professional information business growth [40][41] Question: Impact of Factiva dispute on margins and future expectations - A smaller impact from the Factiva dispute is expected in the fourth quarter, with ongoing margin expansion anticipated as the professional information business grows [45][48] Question: Capital allocation strategy and potential M&A opportunities - The company is focused on its three core pillars for potential acquisitions and will not overpay for businesses, emphasizing shareholder value [52][53] Question: Simplification of the company structure - Management highlighted the Foxtel deal as an example of their willingness to make significant structural decisions to enhance shareholder value [61][62] Question: Progress on Dow Jones subscriber pricing strategy - The strategy to convert promotional pricing to higher-paying plans is proceeding well, with a 7% increase in total subscriptions driven by digital growth [65][66] Question: Churn impact from moving customers to non-promotional plans - Management is learning about price elasticity and aims to reduce churn while maximizing revenue through advanced AI tools [70]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net income from continuing operations increased by 67% to $107 million in Q3 2025 compared to the prior year, while revenues were $2 billion, up 1% despite currency headwinds [6][24] - Total segment EBITDA rose 12%, with overall margin expanding from 13% to 14.4% [6][24] - Adjusted revenues increased by 2%, and adjusted total segment EBITDA grew by 15% [7][24] - Reported EPS from continuing operations doubled to $0.14, while adjusted EPS was $0.17 compared to $0.13 a year ago [7][24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - **Dow Jones**: Revenue grew by 6% to $575 million, with digital revenue accounting for 82% of total segment revenues [25][26] - **Digital Real Estate**: Revenues increased by 5% to $406 million, with segment EBITDA up 19% [28] - **Book Publishing**: Revenue rose by 2% to $514 million, with EBITDA increasing by 3% [33] - **News Media**: Revenue decreased by 8% to $514 million, but segment EBITDA grew by 22% [34] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Dow Jones digital circulation revenue expanded by 14%, with total consumer subscriptions surpassing 6 million [11][25] - REA maintained a significant audience lead, with nearly four times as many average monthly visits as Domain [14] - News Corp Australia's news.com.au achieved 292 million page views per month, making it the number one digital news brand [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on three core pillars of growth: Dow Jones, digital real estate, and book publishing, following the sale of Foxtel [7][22] - Continuous exploration of structural options to maximize shareholder returns is emphasized, with a commitment to quality journalism [9][62] - The company aims to enhance its digital offerings and capitalize on the growth of AI while protecting its intellectual property [10][9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management believes the current political turbulence is temporary and anticipates robust growth potential in the U.S. economy [5][6] - The company is monitoring economic trends closely and expects the direct impact of tariffs to be immaterial [22] - Future growth is expected to be driven by the professional information business and digital revenue streams [35][46] Other Important Information - The sale of Foxtel resulted in a significant reduction of debt on the balance sheet and provided cash for further investments [7][8] - The company has been upgraded to investment grade by Moody's and S&P, enhancing its financial flexibility [8][53] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on Dow Jones investment rate for Q4 - Management indicated no significant increase in investment, focusing on both consumer and professional information business growth [38][40] Question: Impact of Factiva dispute on Q4 - A smaller impact from the Factiva dispute is expected in Q4 compared to Q3, with ongoing improvements anticipated [44][46] Question: Capital allocation strategy and M&A opportunities - The company is focused on its three core pillars for potential acquisitions and will not overpay for businesses [51][52] Question: Simplification of the company structure - Management highlighted the Foxtel deal as an example of their willingness to make significant structural decisions for shareholder benefit [57][60] Question: Dow Jones subscriber pricing strategy - The strategy to convert promotional subscribers to higher-paying plans is proceeding well, with a 7% increase in total subscriptions [65][66] Question: Churn impact from pricing changes - Management is learning about price elasticity and aims to reduce churn while maximizing revenue through dynamic pricing strategies [70][71]