News Corp

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.

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.

1. 2023Proposed Fox combination abandoned

   The proposed reunion of News Corp and Fox was withdrawn after a review by a special committee.

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2. 2023Rupert Murdoch retires as chair

   Murdoch became chairman emeritus, and Lachlan Murdoch became chair of News Corp.

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3. 2022Cyberattack disclosed

   News Corp disclosed unauthorized access to systems in an incident believed to involve China-linked hackers.

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4. 2020James Murdoch leaves the board

   James Murdoch resigned as a director after disagreements over editorial content and strategic matters.

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5. 2016Wireless Group acquisition

   The company entered British radio more directly through its acquisition of Wireless Group.

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6. 2014Harlequin joins HarperCollins

   The acquisition of Harlequin expanded HarperCollins’ international commercial publishing portfolio.

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7. 2014Move acquisition expands property technology

   News Corp acquired Move, Inc., owner of Realtor.com, deepening its digital real-estate presence.

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8. 2013News Corp is formed

   The new News Corp was created through a stock split and began operating independently from the entertainment assets that became 21st Century Fox.

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9. 2013Separate public trading begins

   News Corp began trading as a separate public company in the United States and Australia.

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10. 2013Storyful acquisition

    News Corp acquired Storyful to add social-news discovery and verification capabilities.

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11. 2012Publishing and entertainment separation announced

    Rupert Murdoch announced plans to divide the former News Corporation into a publishing and information company and a separate entertainment company.

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A diversified international publisher and information-services group combining trusted news brands, specialist data products, book publishing and digital real-estate marketplaces.

• Dow JonesBusiness information and financial publishing

  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.

• The Wall Street JournalNewspaper and digital news

  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 UKNews publishing

  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.

• HarperCollinsBook publishing

  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.

• REA GroupDigital real estate

  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.

• Realtor.comDigital real estate

  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 Corp AustraliaNews publishing

  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.

• StoryfulNews verification and digital media

  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.

• 2023Reduce workforceStrategy

  The company faced pressure from changing advertising conditions, print economics and broader cost demands across its divisions.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2022Explore a potential Fox combinationM&A

  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.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2014Acquire HarlequinM&A

  HarperCollins sought to broaden its international commercial publishing scale and genre coverage.

  What changed. 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)

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• 2014Acquire Move, Inc.M&A

  News Corp was expanding its digital real-estate and property-information portfolio through REA Group and related platforms.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2013Separate publishing from entertainmentStrategy

  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.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2013Acquire StoryfulM&A

  News organizations increasingly needed tools to find, authenticate and license breaking material from social networks.

  What changed. 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)

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• 2022Cyberattack affecting News Corp systemsControversy

  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.

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• 2011News of the World phone-hacking scandalControversy

  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.

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• 2025News Corp extends Robert Thomson’s chief executive contract

  News Corp announced that Thomson’s tenure as chief executive had been extended through June 2030.

  Leadership change
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• 2024Shareholders reject proposal to remove News Corp dual-class structure

  At the annual meeting, shareholders rejected a proposal associated with Starboard Value to move toward a one-share-one-vote structure.

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• 2023News Corp and Fox merger proposal is abandoned

  A special committee examined a possible combination of News Corp and Fox, but Rupert Murdoch withdrew the proposal after opposition from shareholders and other stakeholders.

  M&A
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• 2023News Corp announces workforce reductions

  The company announced plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 5 percent across its divisions amid pressure on advertising and other operating conditions.

  Other
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• 2023Rupert Murdoch becomes chairman emeritus

  Murdoch retired from the News Corp board and the Fox board, while Lachlan Murdoch assumed the chairmanship of both companies.

  Leadership change
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• 2022News Corp reports cyberattack

  The company disclosed a cyber incident that security investigators believed was connected to actors operating from China.

  Other
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• 2020James Murdoch resigns from News Corp board

  James Murdoch left the board, citing disagreements about editorial content published by company outlets and certain strategic decisions.

  Leadership change
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• 2016News Corp acquires Wireless Group

  The company acquired the British radio broadcaster formerly known as UTV Media’s radio division.

  M&A
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• 2014News Corp acquires Harlequin

  Harlequin Enterprises was acquired from Torstar and integrated into HarperCollins, expanding the group’s global commercial-fiction publishing portfolio.

  M&A
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• 2014News Corp acquires Move, owner of Realtor.com

  The acquisition expanded News Corp’s exposure to online property listings and complemented the group’s interest in REA Group.

  M&A
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• 2013News Corp completes separation from the former News Corporation

  The publishing and information businesses began operating as a new public company, while the former corporation’s entertainment assets continued under the 21st Century Fox name.

  Other
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• 2013News Corp sells Dow Jones Local Media Group

  The company agreed to sell 33 local newspapers to Newcastle Investment Corp., with operations subsequently associated with GateHouse Media.

  M&A
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• 2013News Corp acquires Storyful

  The company bought the Irish social-news agency to strengthen the discovery, verification and distribution of user-generated news content.

  M&AProduct launch
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1. News Corp
2. News Corp leadership
3. Reuters: Rupert Murdoch drops plan to recombine Fox and News Corp
4. Reuters: Rupert Murdoch to step down as chairman
5. Reuters: News Corp cyberattack
6. James Murdoch leaves the board
7. Reduce workforce
8. 新闻集团延长罗伯特·汤姆森的首席执行官合同
9. 股东否决取消新闻集团双层股权结构的提议