News Corp
A global media and information-services company whose businesses span news publishing, book publishing, digital real estate and related information products.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
News Corp is an American multinational media and information-services company headquartered in New York City. The present company was established on June 28, 2013, when the publishing and information businesses of the former News Corporation were separated from its entertainment and broadcast assets. The old corporation’s entertainment successor became 21st Century Fox, while the newly created News Corp became the publicly traded home for newspapers, book publishing, digital property marketplaces and selected information businesses. The company’s origins ultimately reach back to Rupert Murdoch’s expansion of an Australian newspaper business into an international media group. Before the 2013 separation, the broader News Corporation owned newspapers, book publishers, television networks, film studios and pay-television operations across several countries. The split was intended to give the publishing and entertainment divisions more focused management, capital allocation and strategic priorities, while also responding to reputational and governance pressures surrounding the group’s British newspaper operations. News Corp’s principal businesses include Dow Jones, the information and publishing company behind The Wall Street Journal and related professional products; News UK, publisher of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun; News Corp Australia; HarperCollins, one of the world’s major trade book publishers; and real-estate marketplaces and data businesses associated with REA Group and Realtor.com. The company has also operated or invested in digital news verification, radio, financial information, educational technology and online advertising businesses. Its operating model combines subscription journalism, advertising, print and digital publishing, book sales, professional information services, property listings, lead generation and data products. This mix gives News Corp exposure to both traditional media and digital platforms, but also leaves it managing structural changes in print advertising, newspaper circulation, platform distribution and consumer media habits. The company has therefore pursued acquisitions, disposals and digital transformation initiatives intended to move revenue toward subscriptions, property technology and specialized information services. Rupert Murdoch served as executive chairman of the company from its formation until November 2023, when he became chairman emeritus. Lachlan Murdoch succeeded him as chair. Robert Thomson has served as chief executive since the company’s formation and, in 2025, News Corp announced an extension of his contract through June 2030. News Corp remains affiliated with Fox Corporation through common control by the Murdoch family, although the two companies are separately listed and the proposed reunion of their businesses was abandoned in 2023.
History
News Corp’s corporate history is inseparable from Rupert Murdoch’s construction of an international publishing and media group. Murdoch’s business began in Australia, where newspaper ownership provided the base for expansion into the United Kingdom and the United States. The wider News Corporation subsequently combined newspapers, book publishing, television, film, cable networks and digital properties. During the 1990s, its American television ambitions included the launch and growth of Fox News, while its publishing portfolio continued to develop through newspapers and book imprints. A major expansion in information publishing came with the acquisition of Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal. The purchase strengthened the group’s position in financial journalism and professional information, complementing mass-market newspapers such as the New York Post and international titles operated through News UK and News Corp Australia. The group also developed interests in digital property marketplaces and other internet businesses as audiences and advertising moved online. The decision to separate the corporation was announced in 2012 and implemented on June 28, 2013. The new News Corp received the publishing, newspaper, book and information assets, while the entertainment holdings continued as 21st Century Fox, the legal successor to the original corporation. The restructuring created separate boards, management teams and investment priorities. Robert Thomson became chief executive of the new News Corp, while Rupert Murdoch remained its chairman and a major shareholder. After the split, News Corp reshaped its portfolio through both acquisitions and disposals. It sold the Dow Jones Local Media Group and acquired Storyful, using the latter to build capabilities in social-media monitoring and verification. Harlequin was added to HarperCollins, broadening the company’s romance and commercial-fiction publishing activities. Move, Inc., owner of Realtor.com, strengthened the company’s digital real-estate strategy, which was also supported by its ownership interest in REA Group. News Corp later acquired Wireless Group, adding British radio operations, while disposing of or exchanging interests in businesses such as Amplify and Unruly. The company’s post-split strategy has emphasized digital subscriptions, professional information, property technology and international publishing brands. At the same time, its traditional newspaper operations have faced declining print circulation, changing advertising economics and controversy over editorial practices. News Corp has responded through cost controls, digital products, audience subscriptions and portfolio management rather than attempting to recreate the former conglomerate in its original form. In 2020, James Murdoch resigned from the board, citing disagreements over editorial content and strategy. In 2022, News Corp disclosed a cyberattack attributed by investigators to suspected China-linked actors. A proposed merger with Fox was explored in late 2022 but abandoned in January 2023. Rupert Murdoch retired as chair in November 2023 and became chairman emeritus, with Lachlan Murdoch taking the chairmanship. The company continued to debate governance, including the role of its dual-class share structure, while maintaining separate public listings from Fox Corporation.
- 2023
Proposed Fox combination abandoned
[3]The proposed reunion of News Corp and Fox was withdrawn after a review by a special committee.
- 2023
Rupert Murdoch retires as chair
[4]Murdoch became chairman emeritus, and Lachlan Murdoch became chair of News Corp.
- 2022
Cyberattack disclosed
[5]News Corp disclosed unauthorized access to systems in an incident believed to involve China-linked hackers.
- 2020
James Murdoch leaves the board
[6]James Murdoch resigned as a director after disagreements over editorial content and strategic matters.
- 2016
Wireless Group acquisition
[1]The company entered British radio more directly through its acquisition of Wireless Group.
- 2014
Harlequin joins HarperCollins
[1]The acquisition of Harlequin expanded HarperCollins’ international commercial publishing portfolio.
- 2014
Move acquisition expands property technology
[1]News Corp acquired Move, Inc., owner of Realtor.com, deepening its digital real-estate presence.
- 2013
News Corp is formed
[1]The new News Corp was created through a stock split and began operating independently from the entertainment assets that became 21st Century Fox.
- 2013
Separate public trading begins
[1]News Corp began trading as a separate public company in the United States and Australia.
- 2013
Storyful acquisition
[1]News Corp acquired Storyful to add social-news discovery and verification capabilities.
Products and positioning
A diversified international publisher and information-services group combining trusted news brands, specialist data products, book publishing and digital real-estate marketplaces.
Business information and financial publishing
Dow Jones
Dow Jones is News Corp’s financial and professional information division. It publishes The Wall Street Journal and supplies business news, market information, research, data and professional products to consumers, enterprises and financial-sector users. Its portfolio combines subscription journalism with specialized information services, making it one of the group’s central digital and recurring-revenue businesses.
Newspaper and digital news
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is a leading business and general-interest news publication owned and published by Dow Jones. Its offering includes print journalism, digital subscriptions, market coverage, opinion, analysis and professional information. The title serves both individual subscribers and business users and is one of News Corp’s most prominent global news brands.
News publishing
News UK
News UK operates major British newspaper brands including The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun. Its businesses cover print newspapers, digital news products, subscriptions, advertising, audio and related media activities. The division represents News Corp’s principal newspaper publishing presence in the United Kingdom.
Book publishing
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is News Corp’s international book-publishing division. It publishes fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, religious titles, academic and professional works through a network of imprints and regional operations. The acquisition of Harlequin expanded its position in commercial fiction and romance publishing, while digital formats and audiobooks complement physical books.
Digital real estate
REA Group
REA Group operates digital property marketplaces and related real-estate services, including the Australian realestate.com.au platform. Its products connect property seekers, agents, developers and advertisers through listings, search tools, data and marketing services. The business is a major component of News Corp’s digital real-estate strategy.
Digital real estate
Realtor.com
Realtor.com is an online property marketplace operated through News Corp’s real-estate interests. It provides residential listings and search tools for buyers and renters while offering advertising and lead-generation services to real-estate professionals. Its ownership followed News Corp’s acquisition of Move, Inc.
News publishing
News Corp Australia
News Corp Australia operates newspapers, digital publications and related media businesses in Australia. Its portfolio includes national, metropolitan, regional and specialist titles, supported by digital subscriptions, advertising and audience products. It extends the group’s original Australian publishing base into a modern multi-platform media operation.
News verification and digital media
Storyful
Storyful is a social-news agency acquired by News Corp in 2013. It identifies, verifies and licenses material from social platforms and other digital sources for news organizations and brands. The business was intended to help News Corp develop more systematic capabilities for handling rapidly emerging user-generated content.
Controversies
2022
Cyberattack affecting News Corp systems
News Corp disclosed a cyberattack in which unauthorized actors accessed company systems and email accounts. Investigators reportedly assessed that the activity was linked to China-based or China-aligned actors.
2021
Australian media firms fined for breaching Pell trial suppression order
An Australian court ordered a dozen media firms to pay a total of A$1.1 million in fines for breaching a suppression order on reporting George Pell's conviction. News Corp and Nine Entertainment group were among the companies whose outlets received most of the fines.
2011
News of the World phone-hacking scandal
The phone-hacking scandal involving the News of the World, a newspaper owned by the former News Corporation, created substantial legal, political and reputational pressure. The controversy contributed to the withdrawal of News Corporation’s proposed full acquisition of BSkyB and formed part of the background to the later separation of publishing and entertainment assets.
Brand decisions
2023
Reduce workforceStrategyBackground
The company faced pressure from changing advertising conditions, print economics and broader cost demands across its divisions.
Action taken
News Corp announced a plan to reduce its workforce by approximately 5 percent.
Aftermath
The reductions formed part of a wider effort to control costs while continuing investment in digital products and information businesses.
2022
Explore a potential Fox combinationM&ABackground
Common Murdoch family control and the separate ownership of publishing and entertainment assets led to a review of whether the two companies could gain from reunification.
Action taken
A special committee was formed to examine a possible merger between News Corp and Fox.
Aftermath
The proposal was abandoned in January 2023, leaving the companies separately listed.
2014
Acquire HarlequinM&ABackground
HarperCollins sought to broaden its international commercial publishing scale and genre coverage.
Action taken
News Corp agreed to acquire Harlequin Enterprises from Torstar and place it within HarperCollins.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened HarperCollins in romance and commercial fiction across international markets.
Acquisition consideration. $415 million (2014)
2014
Acquire Move, Inc.M&ABackground
News Corp was expanding its digital real-estate and property-information portfolio through REA Group and related platforms.
Action taken
News Corp announced the acquisition of Move, Inc., the owner of Realtor.com.
Aftermath
The acquisition increased News Corp’s presence in online residential property listings and advertising.
2013
Separate publishing from entertainmentStrategyBackground
The former News Corporation combined publishing, information services, film, television and other media assets under one corporate structure. Management argued that the divisions required different investment priorities and operating approaches.
Action taken
News Corp was created as the publishing and information-services company, while the entertainment assets continued under 21st Century Fox.
Aftermath
The restructuring produced two separately managed public companies and allowed News Corp to concentrate on newspapers, books, information services and digital real estate.
2013
Acquire StoryfulM&ABackground
News organizations increasingly needed tools to find, authenticate and license breaking material from social networks.
Action taken
News Corp acquired the Dublin-based social-news agency Storyful.
Aftermath
Storyful became part of the group’s digital-news capabilities and provided verification and content-licensing services.
Acquisition consideration. €18 million (2013)
Recent events
Australian media firms fined for breaching Pell trial suppression order[8]
Reported:
An Australian court ordered a dozen media firms to pay a total of A$1.1 million in fines for breaching a suppression order on reporting George Pell's conviction. News Corp and Nine Entertainment group were among the companies whose outlets received most of the fines.
News Corp launches My News Feed and My Local[9]
Reported:
News Corp rolled out My News Feed and My Local as new hyperlocal technology initiatives, updating how Australians can personalize their local news services.
OCM agrees to sell its ownership in IBD to News Corp.[10]
Reported:
O'Neil Capital Management announced an agreement to sell its ownership in Investors' Business Daily to News Corp. The transaction was awaiting regulatory approval at the time of the announcement.
News Corp and Google sign three-year news partnership[11]
Reported:
News Corp said it had signed a three-year partnership with Google's Google News Showcase to sell its news products on the platform. The companies will develop a subscription platform and share advertising revenue; the deal also includes audio journalism and investments in video journalism by YouTube.
News Corp and Google reach multi-year news partnership[12]
Reported:
News Corp said it reached a multi-year partnership with Google to provide journalism from its news sites around the world in return for significant payments. The deal includes premium content for Google News Showcase and additional work on subscriptions, advertising revenue, audio journalism and video journalism.
News Corp launches Knewz[13]
Reported:
News Corp launched Knewz, a curated news aggregation service that combines proprietary AI with editors to select headlines from news sources.
Tremor International acquisition of Unruly[14]
Reported:
Information Age reported that Tremor International was acquiring News Corp's Unruly, with News Corp expected to receive a 6.91% stake in Tremor International, subject to conditions.
Sources19 sources
- 1News Corpen.wikipedia.org
- 2News Corp leadershipnewscorp.com
- 3Reuters: Rupert Murdoch drops plan to recombine Fox and News Corpreuters.com
- 4Reuters: Rupert Murdoch to step down as chairmanreuters.com
- 5Reuters: News Corp cyberattackreuters.com
- 6James Murdoch leaves the boardreuters.com
- 7Reduce workforcereuters.com
- 8Australian media firms fined for breaching Pell trial suppression ordertimeslive.co.za
- 9News Corp推出My News Feed和My Localmumbrella.com.au
- 10OCM同意将其在《投资者商业日报》的所有权出售给新闻集团prnasia.com
- 11News Corp与Google签署为期三年的新闻合作协议economictimes.indiatimes.com
- 12News Corp 与 Google 达成多年新闻合作finanznachrichten.de
- 13News Corp 推出 Knewzadweek.com
- 14Tremor International收购Unrulyinformation-age.com
- 15新聞集團上線新聞平台Knewz 要搶回新聞服務主導權 | 鉅亨網news.cnyes.com
- 16Australia Media Fined For Breaching Pell Trial Gag Orderibtimes.com
- 17News Corp launches Knewz, a 'generous aggregation' news platformfoxnews.com
- 18Tremor acquires News Corp’s Unruly | Advanced Televisionadvanced-television.com
- 19Tremor International Acquires Unruly; IAB UK Actions to Address ICOâs RTB Concerns - ExchangeWire.comexchangewire.com
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