News Corp posts $9B revenue as ads slip 2%

News Corp reported a rise in annual revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, with overall sales climbing 7% to $9 billion despite softer advertising results and a small decline in Australian digital subscriptions.

The company said the increase was supported by stronger contributions from its Dow Jones unit, its book publishing operations, and its digital real estate businesses. Those areas offset pressure in the news media division, where advertising revenue slipped 2% across the 12-month period.

Revenue lift driven by Dow Jones, books, and digital real estate Management pointed to performance in Dow Jones, book publishing, and digital real estate as key supports for the year’s revenue outcome. News Corp described itself as a global media group backed by the Murdoch family.

The results also underscored the uneven environment across the company’s portfolio. While some segments delivered momentum, the news media business faced headwinds tied to advertising demand.

Advertising pressure persists in news media

News Corp said advertising revenue in its news media division declined 2% over the year. The company did not attribute the reduction to a single factor, but the drop was presented alongside challenges affecting traditional news categories.

Internal figures also showed a modest contraction in paid digital readership for Australian mastheads. Digital subscriptions fell from 1,166,000 to 1,162,000, a change the company framed as part of wider industry difficulty in sustaining audience retention for established news brands.

AI use of proprietary content flagged as a core risk Beyond the segment-by-segment performance, management highlighted a specific operational risk: the unauthorized use of News Corp’s proprietary content by artificial intelligence models. The company said this issue has become a central concern for protecting intellectual property tied to professional reporting and editorial work.

News Corp said it has reached commercial licensing agreements with OpenAI and Meta. At the same time, leadership indicated it is prepared to take legal action against parties it says are using its intellectual property without payment.

Editorial output positioned as competitive advantage

The company maintained that its professional journalism and editorial production remain a key differentiator versus automated content generation. Management presented that position as part of the rationale for pursuing licensing and, where necessary, litigation to defend paid content.

Some details remain unclear from the company’s disclosure, including which entities may face legal action and the timing of any potential filings. Still, the company’s statements place content protection alongside advertising and subscriptions as major themes shaping its operating environment.