Murdoch family
A prominent Australian-born media family whose business interests helped shape newspaper publishing, television, film and digital media in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and other international markets.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Murdoch family is a multigenerational family associated primarily with international media ownership and management. Its roots are in Scotland and colonial Australia. The family’s Australian line descends from the Reverend James Murdoch and Helen Murdoch, who migrated from Aberdeenshire to Victoria in the nineteenth century. Several descendants became notable in public life, journalism, education, engineering, philanthropy and the arts, but the family’s global prominence rests mainly on the media career of Rupert Murdoch and the continuing involvement of his children. Rupert Murdoch inherited a controlling interest in the Adelaide newspaper The News after the death of his father, Sir Keith Murdoch, in 1952. He expanded the inherited Australian publishing business during the 1950s and 1960s, acquiring newspapers in Australia and New Zealand and building the foundations of what became News Limited and, later, News Corporation. His strategy combined aggressive newspaper expansion with a willingness to enter markets and formats that were not traditionally connected to newspapers. The family’s international expansion began with British newspaper acquisitions, including the News of the World and The Sun, followed by the purchase of The Times and The Sunday Times. In the United States, Rupert Murdoch acquired the San Antonio Express-News, launched the tabloid Star and bought the New York Post. He later acquired a significant interest in 20th Century Fox, which provided the entertainment assets and broadcast infrastructure for the creation of the Fox television network. Because United States law restricted foreign ownership of television stations, Murdoch became a naturalized US citizen in 1985. During the following decades, the family’s business interests extended across pay television, satellite broadcasting, newspapers, book publishing, film and television production. Associated assets and ventures included BSkyB, Sky Italia, Sky Deutschland, Foxtel, STAR TV, Tata Sky, HarperCollins and Dow Jones, the owner of The Wall Street Journal. The group also became a major participant in the political and cultural life of the countries where its newspapers and broadcasters operated, although the family itself is not a single incorporated company. In 2013, News Corporation was divided into two publicly traded businesses. Publishing assets were placed in the new News Corp, while film and television assets were placed in 21st Century Fox. In 2019, most of 21st Century Fox was acquired by The Walt Disney Company. The remaining Fox assets were separated into Fox Corporation, which retained the Fox broadcast network, Fox News and other US television and news operations. The Murdoch family continued to hold a significant voting position through the family trust and related shareholdings in News Corp and Fox Corporation. Rupert Murdoch’s children have occupied different positions within the family’s business and public networks. Prudence Murdoch has held directorial roles; Elisabeth Murdoch developed media and production interests; Lachlan Murdoch became a senior executive and director at News Corp and Fox; and James Murdoch held senior leadership positions before becoming an independent investor and director. The family’s influence therefore extends beyond direct executive management into ownership, board representation, succession planning and relationships with media, political and cultural institutions. The Murdoch family is best understood as a family business network rather than as a conventional consumer brand. It does not sell a single branded product. Its significance derives from ownership and control of media companies, the strategic decisions of its principal members, and the editorial and commercial influence of the newspapers, broadcasters, studios and digital properties connected with those companies. As of the 2020s, succession and control of the family trust remained important questions for the future direction of the family's corporate interests.
History
The family’s documented lineage begins with the Reverend James Murdoch and Helen Murdoch, Scottish immigrants who settled in Victoria. Their descendants included several figures prominent in Australian public life. Patrick Murdoch, one of their children, became a Presbyterian minister, while Sir Walter Murdoch became an academic, essayist and founding professor of English at the University of Western Australia. The university and the surrounding Perth suburb later took the name Murdoch in recognition of Walter Murdoch. The family’s media branch developed through Sir Keith Murdoch, a journalist who gained prominence as a First World War correspondent. He became editor of the Melbourne Herald in 1921 and managing director of The Herald and Weekly Times in 1928. His marriage to Elisabeth Joy Greene connected the media family to a major philanthropic tradition, and their son Rupert inherited a stake in the Adelaide newspaper The News after Keith’s death in 1952. Rupert Murdoch transformed the inherited regional publishing interest into a multinational media group. During the 1950s and 1960s he acquired Australian and New Zealand newspapers, including daily, weekly, suburban and provincial titles. In 1968 he entered the British market by buying the News of the World and later The Sun. The acquisitions established a model that combined mass-market circulation, strong editorial positioning and centralized ownership. Murdoch entered the United States in 1973 with the purchase of the San Antonio Express-News. He launched the US tabloid Star and acquired the New York Post in 1976. In the 1980s he bought The Times and The Sunday Times in Britain and acquired a major stake in 20th Century Fox. The film studio became central to his creation of the Fox Broadcasting Company, a new US free-to-air network. His naturalization as a US citizen in 1985 allowed him to comply with restrictions on foreign ownership of American television stations. The group subsequently diversified into pay television and international broadcasting. Its interests included BSkyB in Britain, Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland in Europe, Foxtel in Australia, and STAR TV and Tata Sky in Asia. News Corporation also expanded into book publishing through HarperCollins and financial and business journalism through the acquisition of Dow Jones, whose assets included The Wall Street Journal. The 2011 phone-hacking scandal involving News of the World intensified regulatory, political and legal scrutiny of News Corporation. The newspaper was closed, and the episode contributed to a broader restructuring of the group. In 2013, News Corporation was divided into publishing and entertainment businesses. News Corp retained publishing assets, while 21st Century Fox held the principal film and television operations. Disney’s 2019 acquisition of most 21st Century Fox assets left Fox Corporation as a separate US media company containing the Fox broadcast network, Fox News and other retained assets. Family participation continued after the corporate restructuring. Lachlan Murdoch became a central senior figure at News Corp and Fox Corporation, while James Murdoch departed from senior board responsibilities and pursued other investments. Elisabeth Murdoch and Prudence Murdoch maintained connections to media, directorship and investment activities. The family’s voting influence remained linked to a trust structure, making succession and governance significant strategic issues. A court case reported in 2024 addressed competing interests within the fourth generation concerning control of the family’s media holdings.
- 2019
Disney acquisition and creation of Fox Corporation
[4]Disney acquired most of 21st Century Fox, while the retained US assets became Fox Corporation.
- 2013
News Corporation is separated
[2]Publishing assets were placed in News Corp and entertainment assets in 21st Century Fox.
- 2011
News of the World phone-hacking crisis
[3]The phone-hacking scandal led to the closure of the News of the World and intensified scrutiny of News Corporation's governance and media practices.
- 1985
Rupert Murdoch becomes a US citizen
[1]Murdoch became a naturalized American citizen to satisfy legal requirements governing ownership of US television stations.
- 1981
Acquisition of The Times and The Sunday Times
[1]The acquisition expanded the family's British newspaper portfolio into two influential national titles.
- 1973
First major US newspaper acquisition
[1]Murdoch purchased the San Antonio Express-News, beginning a sustained expansion in the United States.
- 1968
Entry into British newspapers
[1]Rupert Murdoch began his British newspaper expansion with the acquisition of the News of the World and subsequently The Sun.
- 1952
Rupert Murdoch inherits the family newspaper interest
[1]Following Keith Murdoch's death, Rupert Murdoch inherited his stake in News Limited and took control of The News in Adelaide.
- 1921
Keith Murdoch becomes editor of the Melbourne Herald
[1]Keith Murdoch was appointed editor of the Melbourne Herald, an important step in his rise within Australian newspaper publishing.
- 1884
Murdoch ancestors migrate to Australia
[1]The Reverend James Murdoch and Helen Murdoch migrated from the Pitsligo area of Aberdeenshire to the Australian colony of Victoria, establishing the family line later associated with Australian public life and media.
Products and positioning
A family-controlled media ownership network with a historically conservative, commercially aggressive and internationally diversified profile. Its influence has come from assembling large portfolios of newspapers, broadcasters, studios and publishing businesses rather than from operating a single unified consumer-facing brand.
Publishing and media holding company · 2013
News Corp
News Corp is the publishing-focused successor created by the 2013 separation of News Corporation. Its portfolio has included newspapers, digital news properties, book publishing and information services. Assets associated with the wider Murdoch media network include The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Sun and HarperCollins, although ownership and corporate structures vary by period.
Broadcast and news media · 2019
Fox Corporation
Fox Corporation was formed from the US assets retained after Disney acquired most of 21st Century Fox. Its principal activities include broadcast television, cable news, sports and related digital media. The company represents the continuing US television and news portion of the family's former integrated entertainment empire.
Newspapers · 1981
The Times and The Sunday Times
These British national newspapers became part of Rupert Murdoch's newspaper portfolio after their acquisition in 1981. They operate as influential general-interest and opinion publications, with print and digital editions and a readership extending beyond the United Kingdom.
Cable news
Fox News
Fox News is a US cable news network associated with the Fox media assets retained after the 21st Century Fox transaction. It is a major source of television news, commentary and opinion programming in the United States.
Book publishing
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is an international book publisher that became part of the wider News Corporation portfolio. It publishes trade books across fiction, nonfiction, children's literature and other categories through multiple imprints and national operations.
Controversies
2011
News of the World phone-hacking scandal
Illegal interception of voicemail messages by journalists and private investigators associated with the News of the World produced investigations, civil claims and political scrutiny. The newspaper was closed in 2011, and the affair affected senior leadership, public confidence and the governance of News Corporation's British newspaper operations.
Brand decisions
2024
Family trust control challengeOtherBackground
Succession arrangements governing the family's voting influence over its media holdings became the subject of a court proceeding involving members of the fourth generation.
Action taken
The dispute proceeded through the courts; the available reference does not establish a final outcome.
Aftermath
The case highlighted the importance of family-trust governance to future control of News Corp and Fox-related interests.
2019
Sell most 21st Century Fox assets to DisneyM&ABackground
21st Century Fox held a large film and television portfolio, while Disney sought to expand its entertainment and streaming position.
Action taken
Disney acquired most of 21st Century Fox. The assets not included in the transaction were separated into Fox Corporation.
Aftermath
The transaction ended the family's direct ownership of most of the former Fox film studio and international entertainment assets while preserving a major US broadcast and news business.
2013
Separate publishing from entertainmentStrategyBackground
News Corporation combined publishing, television and film assets whose risk profiles and regulatory environments differed substantially.
Action taken
The company was divided into News Corp, focused mainly on publishing and related information businesses, and 21st Century Fox, focused mainly on entertainment and television.
Aftermath
The restructuring created two separately listed companies and provided the corporate structure later used for Disney's acquisition of most 21st Century Fox assets.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/murdoch-family · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled