News Corporation has reported a solid finish to its fiscal 2025 year, with revenue growth across key business units and a significant lift in profit. The media giant’s revenue for the full year reached $8.45 billion, up 2 per cent from 2024, while net income from continuing operations surged 71 per cent to $648 million.
Including discontinued operations, the company’s total net income soared to $1.34 billion.
While News Corp delivered strong full-year results, its traditional media segment continues to face headwinds. Revenue from the News Media division declined 4 per cent year-on-year, driven by falling print advertising, lower circulation volumes, and the impact of transferring third-party printing contracts.
Digital now accounts for 38 per cent of the segment’s revenue. Still, audience declines at key brands, including The Sun and the New York Post, both down more than 20 per cent in monthly unique users.
“News Corp reported a sterling performance sustained across the four quarters of Fiscal 2025,” said CEO Robert Thomson. “These robust results have enhanced our financial position and thus our ability to return capital to shareholders”.
In the three months ending June 30, News Corp delivered $2.11 billion in revenue, up 1 per cent year-on-year. Net income from continuing operations for the quarter was $86 million, up 28 per cent from the same period last year. Fourth quarter earnings per share were $0.09, while adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.19.
The company also recorded $322 million in Total Segment EBITDA for the quarter, a 5 per cent year-over-year increase, with substantial contributions from its Dow Jones and Digital Real Estate Services divisions.
News Corp generated $978 million in operating cash flow for the year, up from $897 million, and reported $571 million in free cash flow. The company also announced a new $1 billion stock buyback program, adding to the $300 million remaining from a previous repurchase plan.
In his remarks, Thomson also sounded a warning about the impact of AI on content creators and IP rights.
“The AI age must cherish the value of intellectual property if we are collectively to realise our potential. Much is made of the competition with China, but America’s advantage is ingenuity and creativity, not bits and bytes, not watts but wit. To undermine that comparative advantage by stripping away IP rights is to vandalise our virtuosity,” Thomson said.
“Even the President of the United States is not immune to this blatant theft. The President’s books are still reporting healthy sales, but are being consumed by AI engines that profit from his thoughts by cannibalising his concepts, thus undermining future sales of his books. Suddenly, The Art of the Deal has become The Art of the Steal”.
News Corp’s FY25 results show steady growth in core areas like digital subscriptions, real estate, and publishing, offsetting declines in traditional media. With strong cash flow, a new buyback program, and robust performance from Dow Jones and REA Group, the company is well-positioned for the year ahead.
