# News Corp (Class B) **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/news-corp-class-b **Vertical:** Communications **Subcategory:** Enterprise **Tier:** Leader **Website:** nws.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Murdoch-family media company with $10.1B FY2024 revenue; WSJ 4M+ subscribers anchors Dow Jones; REA Group dominant Australian real estate portal; AI content licensing deals being pursued. ## Company Overview News Corp is a global media and information services company controlled by the Murdoch family through Class B supervoting shares, founded following the 2013 separation of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation into two entities—Fox Corporation (entertainment and news broadcast) and News Corp (publishing and digital real estate). Headquartered in New York City and traded on Nasdaq (NWS for Class B non-voting shares; NWSA for Class A), News Corp generated approximately $10.1 billion in revenues for fiscal year 2024 (ending June 2024) under CEO Robert Thomson. Lachlan Murdoch serves as Executive Chairman, and the Murdoch family—through Rupert Murdoch's family trust—retains controlling voting power. The company's portfolio spans premium digital real estate (REA Group in Australia, Move Inc./realtor.com in the U.S.), news media (The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Times of London, The Australian), book publishing (HarperCollins), and subscription video (Foxtel in Australia). News Corp's highest-value asset is its Dow Jones division, which includes The Wall Street Journal—the largest U.S. newspaper by paid circulation with approximately 4 million subscribers—along with Barron's, MarketWatch, and Dow Jones Newswires. The digital transformation of WSJ's subscription model, growing digital-only subscriptions and B2B data licensing, has sustained the franchise's relevance as print advertising revenue declined structurally. REA Group, the dominant Australian online real estate portal (approximately 61% owned by News Corp), generates significant earnings as Australia's housing market commands premium advertising rates from agents and developers. The company explored a potential acquisition of or merger with CoStar Group (commercial real estate data, owner of Homes.com) in 2024 as a strategic move to challenge Zillow and strengthen the digital real estate portfolio. In 2025-2026, News Corp pursues its digital-first strategy across segments: WSJ aims to reach 6 million paid subscribers through premium journalism, data products, and licensing; HarperCollins navigated a 2023 author strike with new contracts; and Foxtel faces the secular decline of Australian pay TV subscriptions while growing its streaming platform Binge. The Murdoch family succession planning—with Rupert Murdoch's attempt to modify the family trust to consolidate Lachlan's control challenged by other Murdoch children in Nevada court proceedings in 2023-2024—created rare visibility into the dynastic governance risk inherent in dual-class controlled companies. AI content licensing agreements, including reported discussions with Apple and Google over training data use from WSJ and Dow Jones publications, represent a new revenue stream that News Corp is prioritizing. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What companies and brands does News Corp own? News Corp owns a diverse portfolio of leading media and information services brands. The company's major assets include: Dow Jones & Company (publisher of The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, and Investor's Business Daily); News UK (publisher of The Times, The Sunday Times, and The Sun); News Corp Australia (publisher of The Australian and major metropolitan newspapers); HarperCollins (one of the world's largest book publishers); REA Group (operator of realestate.com.au, Australia's leading property website); Move, Inc. (operator of realtor.com); the New York Post; and Storyful (social media intelligence and news agency). These brands span news and information services, professional publishing, consumer publishing, digital real estate, and subscription video services. ### How does News Corp's dual-class share structure work? News Corp operates under a dual-class share structure with Class A shares (NWSA) and Class B shares (NWS). This structure concentrates voting control primarily with the Murdoch family through their ownership of Class B shares, while Class A shares offer economic interest with limited voting rights. This means the Murdoch family maintains strategic control over company decisions despite not owning a majority of the total equity. At the November 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, shareholders overwhelmingly voted with the Board's recommendations on all proposals, including convincingly defeating a non-binding proposal to adopt a recapitalization plan that would eliminate News Corp's dual-class capital structure, demonstrating continued support for the current governance structure. ### What is News Corp's AI strategy and how is it monetizing content through AI partnerships? News Corp has positioned itself as a leader in AI-driven content innovation and has been proactive in monetizing its premium journalism through AI partnerships. In May 2024, the company struck its first licensing deal with OpenAI reportedly worth $250 million over five years, allowing OpenAI to use News Corp content for training and integration into AI products. News Corp is pursuing a multi-LLM (large language model) licensing playbook and is in talks with other AI companies including Google for additional licensing deals. The company views these partnerships as both a revenue opportunity and a way to ensure quality journalism is properly represented in AI-generated responses. Simultaneously, News Corp has taken legal action to protect its intellectual property, suing Perplexity in October 2024 for alleged 'massive illegal copying' of content without permission or compensation. ### What is News Corp's financial performance and business model in 2024? In fiscal year 2024, News Corp reported total revenues of $9.88 billion, with Q4 2024 revenue of $2.58 billion representing a 6% increase year-over-year. The company has transitioned to a subscription-focused business model, with approximately 80% of Dow Jones' overall revenue generated by subscriptions to both consumers and enterprises. Digital transformation has been a key driver, with digital revenues now representing the majority of income across most segments. Dow Jones achieved record profitability in 2024 with revenues of $2.3 billion (up 14% year-over-year), and digital revenue accounting for approximately 80-81% of segment revenue. Total Wall Street Journal subscriptions reached nearly 4.3 million, with digital-only WSJ subscriptions growing 11% to nearly 3.8 million. The Digital Real Estate Services segment showed strong growth with revenues rising 21% and segment EBITDA surging 25%. However, the News Media segment faced challenges with a 5% decline in revenues and a 38% drop in segment EBITDA. ### How has News Corp adapted to digital transformation and changes in the media industry? News Corp has undergone a dramatic digital transformation under CEO Robert Thomson's leadership since 2013. The company has 'engineered a seismic shift toward recurring digital revenue streams, reduced reliance on cyclical advertising, and positioned itself as a leader in AI-driven content innovation.' Digital subscriptions have become the primary revenue driver, with Dow Jones doubling its digital subscription base from 2.43 million in late 2019 to 4.86 million in January 2024, and digital-only subscriptions growing 16% year-over-year to over 5.2 million in 2024. Digital advertising has also grown significantly, with Dow Jones seeing 12% growth in digital advertising revenues in Q4 2024, representing 66% of total advertising revenues (up from 60% in 2023). However, News Corp properties have faced significant digital headwinds including The Sun's global online audience declining from 143 million in December 2023 to 70 million in December 2024, and the New York Post experiencing a 27% traffic decline, largely due to Google algorithm changes and other technological shifts. In response, properties like The Sun have emphasized video content (YouTube revenues more than doubling in H2 2024) and launched new subscription services like The Sun Club. ### What is the relationship between News Corp and 21st Century Fox? News Corp and 21st Century Fox were originally part of the same company but were separated in a major corporate restructuring completed on June 28, 2013. The original News Corporation split into two separate publicly traded companies: 21st Century Fox retained the entertainment assets including film studios (20th Century Fox), television networks (Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News, FX), and cable channels, while the publishing and media assets retained the News Corporation name. The current News Corp began trading on July 1, 2013, and focused on news and information services (Dow Jones), newspapers (News UK, News Corp Australia, New York Post), book publishing (HarperCollins), and digital real estate services. This restructuring was designed to unlock shareholder value by separating high-growth entertainment businesses from challenged publishing operations. In 2019, 21st Century Fox was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, while News Corp remains an independent publicly traded company controlled by the Murdoch family. ### What are News Corp's company culture and employee benefits? News Corp promotes work-life balance with flexibility and blended working arrangements, allowing employees to manage their life and work in an integrated way. Diversity, equity and inclusion are ongoing priorities for the business and communities they serve, with the company wanting all people to feel a sense of belonging. Employee benefits include health, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, wellness perks, and employee discounts. Additional perks include coffee and fruit baskets every day, as well as fertility and maternity benefits. The company offers an Employee Pricing Program with exclusive access to best-in-market pricing and additional benefits. News Corp employees have rated their sentiment towards the company's perks and benefits 75/100, ranking their perks and benefits in the top 25% of all similar sized companies with 10,000+ employees. Employee reviews mention positive aspects such as helpful colleagues, team events, good team spirit, and professional development opportunities, though experiences vary by division and role. ### Who is Robert Thomson and what has he accomplished as CEO? Robert J. Thomson has served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of News Corp since 2013, when the company separated from 21st Century Fox. In June 2025, the company extended Thomson's contract to June 2030, reflecting board confidence in his leadership. Under Thomson's tenure, News Corp has 'engineered a seismic shift toward recurring digital revenue streams, reduced reliance on cyclical advertising, and positioned itself as a leader in AI-driven content innovation.' Thomson previously served as Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal from 2007 to 2013 and managing editor of the Financial Times from 2002 to 2007, bringing extensive journalistic and editorial expertise to his role. He has been instrumental in negotiating major AI licensing deals, including the landmark $250 million partnership with OpenAI announced in May 2024. Thomson has overseen significant digital growth, with Dow Jones achieving record profitability and The Wall Street Journal's digital subscriptions growing to nearly 3.8 million. ### What major challenges is News Corp facing in 2024-2025? News Corp faces several significant challenges in the evolving media landscape. Digital traffic to major properties has declined dramatically, with The Sun's global online audience dropping from 143 million monthly unique users in December 2023 to 70 million in December 2024 (a 51% decline), and the New York Post experiencing a 27% decline to 90 million unique users. These declines coincided with Google's algorithm modifications including core updates, the helpful content update, and the site reputation abuse update. The News Media segment has seen a 5% decline in revenues and a 38% drop in segment EBITDA, reflecting ongoing pressures on traditional news publishing. Print circulation continues to decline across all properties as consumer preferences shift to digital consumption. The company also faces challenges protecting its intellectual property in the AI era, leading to the October 2024 lawsuit against Perplexity for alleged content copying. Additionally, there are ongoing governance debates about the dual-class share structure, though shareholders decisively rejected proposals to eliminate it at the November 2024 Annual Meeting. ### What is Dow Jones and why is it important to News Corp? Dow Jones & Company is News Corp's flagship professional information services and consumer publishing division, and one of the company's most valuable and profitable assets. Dow Jones publishes The Wall Street Journal (America's most influential business newspaper), Barron's, MarketWatch, Investor's Business Daily, and operates professional information services including Dow Jones Newswires, Factiva, and Dow Jones Risk & Compliance. In fiscal 2024, Dow Jones achieved record profitability with revenues of $2.3 billion, representing a 14% increase year-over-year, making it a key driver of News Corp's overall financial performance. The segment has successfully transitioned to a digital-first, subscription-focused business model, with digital revenue accounting for approximately 80-81% of total Dow Jones revenue. Total Wall Street Journal subscriptions reached nearly 4.3 million in 2024, with digital-only WSJ subscriptions growing 11% to nearly 3.8 million. Roughly 80% of Dow Jones' overall revenue is generated by subscriptions to both consumers and enterprises, providing stable, recurring revenue that is less dependent on volatile advertising markets. Dow Jones represents News Corp's successful adaptation to the digital age and demonstrates the ongoing value of premium, authoritative journalism and business information. ### What is News Corp's stock buyback program and capital allocation strategy? In July 2024, News Corp announced a new $1 billion stock repurchase program, which is in addition to its existing stock repurchase program. The company has accelerated the rate of share repurchases significantly, with the Q1 fiscal 2026 pace running at over four times the fiscal 2025 pace. This aggressive buyback program reflects management's confidence in the company's future prospects and commitment to returning capital to shareholders. The stock repurchase program is part of News Corp's broader capital allocation strategy that balances investments in digital transformation and growth opportunities (such as expanding digital subscriptions and developing AI partnerships) with returning excess capital to shareholders through buybacks. The company has also maintained its dividend payments to shareholders while simultaneously investing in technology infrastructure and content creation capabilities. ### How can I pursue a career at News Corp? News Corp offers diverse career opportunities across journalism, publishing, technology, sales, marketing, and corporate functions spanning multiple countries and brands. The company employs thousands of professionals including journalists, editors, authors, engineers, data scientists, sales professionals, and business executives. Career opportunities exist across News Corp's major divisions: Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch), News UK (The Times, The Sun), News Corp Australia, HarperCollins Publishers, Digital Real Estate Services (REA Group, Move/realtor.com), and the New York Post. News Corp promotes work-life balance with flexibility and blended working arrangements, and emphasizes diversity, equity and inclusion as ongoing priorities. Employee benefits include health, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, wellness perks, employee discounts, and professional development opportunities. Prospective candidates should visit the careers sections of specific News Corp brands or the main News Corp careers website to explore current openings. The company values journalistic integrity, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to quality content and storytelling across all roles. ## Tags b2c, communication, global, media, north-america, public, telecom --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*