News Corp Australia
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Predecessor | News Limited |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Founder | James Edward Davidson |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Rupert Murdoch (owner and chairman), Robert Thomson (CEO of parent company News Corp), Julian Clarke (former CEO), Peter Tonagh (CEO since 2015), Michael Miller (Executive Chairman since 2015) |
| Products | Newspaper and magazine publishing, online services, market research, DVD and film distribution, film and television production |
| Owner | News Corp |
| Parent | News Corp |
News Corp Australia operates as an Australian media conglomerate and functions as a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp.
Its business activities encompass newspaper and magazine publishing, online services, market research, distribution of DVDs and films, along with film and television production. The group’s holding company is News Pty Ltd, which was previously known as News Limited.
Prior to the establishment of News Corporation in 1979, News Limited acted as the main holding company for Rupert Murdoch’s enterprises. Since then, it has been under the complete ownership of News Corporation. In 2004, News Corporation underwent reincorporation in the United States, resulting in the cessation of its trading on the Australian Securities Exchange on 3 November and commencing trading on the New York Stock Exchange on 8 November. On 28 June 2013, News Corporation divided into two separate entities: Murdoch’s newspaper holdings were consolidated into the newly formed News Corp, which assumed control of News Limited. Subsequently, the entity was rebranded as News Corp Australia on 1 July 2013.
Origins
Founded in 1923 by James Edward Davidson with financial backing from the Collins Group mining interests, News Limited initially focused on publishing anti-union materials. Davidson acquired the Barrier Miner newspaper in Broken Hill and The Recorder in Port Pirie, later purchasing Adelaide’s weekly Mail and establishing The News, a daily publication based in Adelaide, South Australia.
Murdoch Family Influence
In 1949, Sir Keith Murdoch secured a minority shareholding. Upon his death in 1952, his son Rupert Murdoch inherited control of The News, often referred to as the cornerstone of News Limited.
Rupert Murdoch swiftly expanded his media portfolio by acquiring various daily and suburban newspapers throughout Australian capital cities, including Sydney's The Daily Mirror, as well as a modest recording label, Festival Records. The acquisition of the Mirror was instrumental in competing against major players such as Fairfax Media's The Sydney Morning Herald and Consolidated Press's The Daily Telegraph.
In 1964, News Limited introduced The Australian, marking Australia's first national daily newspaper. Initially headquartered in Canberra before relocating to Sydney, this broadsheet elevated News Limited’s stature as a prestigious publisher and expanded its political influence through an elite readership.
That same year marked News Limited’s inaugural international investment with a 29.57% shareholding in Wellington Publishing Company, a component of New Zealand's Independent Newspapers Limited (INL). Ownership stakes varied over time, peaking at just over 49% in 1997 before INL was acquired by competitor Fairfax Media in 2003.
During the subsequent decade, Murdoch established a robust financial foundation by purchasing underperforming newspapers and revitalizing them through bold management strategies and editorial reforms, frequently engaging in intense circulation rivalries. By the 1970s, this groundwork facilitated acquisitions of prominent newspapers and magazines across London, New York, and other global markets.
To increase subscriptions for its pay television services during the mid-1990s, News Ltd orchestrated the creation of a new rugby league competition, triggering what became known as the Super League war.
On 12 July 2006, News Limited launched News Digital Media to manage its digital portfolio including news.com.au; marketplace platforms such as carsguide.com.au, truelocal.com.au, careerone.com.au; part ownership of realestate.com.au; foxsports.com.au; activities related to Foxtel; and Australian versions of Fox Interactive Media properties Myspace and IGN. John Hartigan appointed Richard Freudenstein as CEO of this digital division.
In February 2018, News Corp Australia collaborated with Taboola to deploy an integrated native advertising platform designed for content creation, booking, and distribution across its digital ecosystem spanning desktop, mobile devices, web portals, and applications.
Corporate developments
In 2000, John Hartigan succeeded Lachlan Murdoch as CEO and later assumed the chairman position in 2005. His leadership period included managing disputes such as the Eatock v Bolt case involving journalist Andrew Bolt and an unfair dismissal lawsuit filed by former Herald Sun editor Bruce Guthrie. Hartigan departed from News Ltd on 30 November 2011, after which owner Rupert Murdoch took on the chairman role, while former Foxtel executive Kim Williams was appointed CEO.
On 28 June 2013, News Corporation underwent a division into two publicly listed entities specializing in publishing and broadcasting/media. News Limited was rebranded as News Corp Australia and integrated into the publishing arm, News Corp, with Wall Street Journal editor Robert Thomson stepping in as CEO, replacing Murdoch. Murdoch retained his positions as chairman and principal shareholder in both companies.
Julian Clarke succeeded Kim Williams as CEO of News Corp Australia on 9 August 2013. Later, on 9 June 2015, Peter Tonagh was announced as Clarke’s successor, with Michael Miller appointed Executive Chairman; both commenced their duties on 16 November 2015.
United Kingdom
Murdoch cemented his influence in the UK by acquiring the News of the World and The Sun in 1969, followed by the purchase of The Times and The Sunday Times from the Thomson family in 1981. These acquisitions bolstered his reputation as a savvy businessman. The acquisition of The Times raised concerns among conservative circles, leading to the establishment of The Independent in 1986 as a rival quality daily newspaper.
United States
Murdoch entered the American media market in 1973 by acquiring the San Antonio News, soon after launching the supermarket tabloid National Star, and purchasing the New York Post in 1976. Additional acquisitions across the U.S. were made under the umbrella of News Corporation.
Australia
In 1987, News Limited broadened its Australian newspaper holdings by purchasing The Herald and Weekly Times, which published two Melbourne-based newspapers that were eventually merged into the Herald Sun. The company also expanded its ownership stakes in Brisbane's Queensland Newspapers, publisher of The Courier-Mail, Adelaide's Advertiser Newspapers, owner of The Advertiser, and Hobart's Davies Brothers, proprietor of The Mercury.
In 1991, News Limited divested its magazine division as Pacific Magazines and Printing, selling titles renamed Murdoch Magazines to Matt Handbury. The company re-entered the magazine sector in 2000 with News Magazines, strengthening its position further in 2006 through acquiring Independent Print Media Group's FPC Magazines, which included publications like Delicious, Super Food Ideas, and Vogue Australia.
Nationwide News, a subsidiary under News Corp Australia, played a central role in notable legal proceedings such as the 1992 High Court case Nationwide News Pty Ltd v Wills. In 2018, it was mandated by the Federal Court to compensate actor Geoffrey Rush after publishing a front-page article in The Daily Telegraph alleging misconduct during a 2015 Sydney Theatre Company production.
Influence in Australia
Murdoch's ambition to establish a commanding presence across multiple media platforms in Australia began in 1961 with his acquisition of the struggling record label Festival Records, which quickly rose to become the nation's foremost local music company. He also acquired a television station in Wollongong, New South Wales, with intentions to penetrate the Sydney TV market. However, Australia's regulations on cross-media ownership, which prohibit holding both a major newspaper and television station within the same city, obstructed this plan. Murdoch has persistently advocated for reforming these laws, which were amended in 2006 and further loosened in 2017, enabling increased media consolidation.
By 2001, News Corp Australia dominated nearly 75% of daily metropolitan newspaper circulation, exerting considerable influence over public opinion. Leaked internal documents disclosed tactics designed to support political parties during election periods, including an offer approaching A$500,000 to back the Australian Labour Party through its top-selling newspapers during the 2001 federal election, as well as targeted initiatives aimed at swing seats in 2004. These activities underscore News Corp's proactive involvement in shaping electoral narratives.
Murdoch leveraged News Corp’s publication The Australian as a platform to promote his political objectives, historically endorsing leaders such as John McEwen and Gough Whitlam. The 2011 Finkelstein Review reported that News Corp controlled 23% of Australian newspaper titles at that time. By 2021, the company owned seven out of twelve national or capital city daily print newspapers (58%), with no print daily competitors present in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, or Hobart. Nonetheless, by 2020 only a quarter of news consumption was derived from print media; television remained the primary source, followed by digital and social platforms. In early 2021, News Corp had transitioned many local newspapers to digital-only editions, maintaining fewer than twenty print titles alongside approximately eighty-five digital publications.
In 2016, News Corp held a 65% share of national and capital city daily print newspapers. Its news website news.com.au ranked second in visitor numbers behind ABC News, while individual newspaper sites lagged behind several purely digital competitors. By December 2020, News Corp’s news websites attracted 1.2 million fewer readers than those operated by Nine Entertainment. The company owns a single television news outlet, Sky News Australia, which commands a relatively small TV audience but boasts a significant digital following; by 2021 its YouTube subscriber count exceeded those of Channel 7, Channel 9, and ABC News.
By 2018, News Corp’s digital assets in Australia encompassed news.com.au, Business Spectator, Eureka Report, Kidspot.com.au, taste.com.au, and homelife.com.au. It maintained a majority ownership stake (65%) in Foxtel, which controls Fox Sports Australia, alongside holdings in REA Group, operator of realestate.com.au, among other media interests. Additionally, it possessed shares in the Brisbane Broncos NRL team.
In November 2020, a parliamentary petition initiated by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called for a Royal Commission into diversity and integrity within print media—primarily targeting News Corp—and amassed over half a million signatures.
Since 2010, with Lachlan Murdoch’s increasing leadership role, News Corp Australia's political alignment has grown more steadfast. As of 2024, The Australian has consistently endorsed the Liberal Party at every federal election since that year began, while none of its four metropolitan daily newspapers have supported Labor since at least 2010.
Unethical conduct
In the wake of the News International phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom, News Limited launched a comprehensive review in July 2011 to examine all payments made over the preceding three years. Two retired judges from the Victorian Supreme Court, Frank Vincent AO QC and Bernard Teague AO, were appointed as independent overseers for this inquiry. The combined editorial and financial audit concluded by November 2011, finding no proof of phone hacking or illicit payments to government officials. Vincent and Teague reported that the investigation uncovered no widespread problems related to payments to external parties or large amounts tied to unlawful activities.
Nonetheless, in 2012, News Corp’s Australian arm encountered additional accusations involving its subsidiary, News Datacom Systems (NDS). Allegations surfaced that NDS employed hackers to disrupt pay TV competitors worldwide, including within Australia. Several targeted firms such as Austar were subsequently acquired by News Corp, while others like Ondigital ceased operations. Originally created to protect News Corp’s pay TV interests, NDS was reportedly involved in distributing access keys to rival set-top box providers and attempting to obtain competitors’ phone records. These claims were supported by emails recovered from NDS European head Ray Adams’ hard drive. The Australian Federal Police worked jointly with UK law enforcement agencies to investigate these hacking accusations against News Corp.
Holdings
As of November 2023, News Corp Australia manages a portfolio of 170 newspaper and magazine titles, including:
National
- The Australian featuring the weekly supplement The Deal and the monthly insert (wish)
- The Weekend Australian accompanied by The Weekend Australian Magazine
Metropolitan
- The Daily Telegraph
- The Sunday Telegraph with the insert sundaymagazine
- The Sportsman
- Herald Sun
- Sunday Herald Sun including the insert sundaymagazine
- The Courier-Mail with the weekly supplement QWeekend
- The Sunday Mail
- Gold Coast Bulletin
- The Advertiser featuring the monthly insert the Adelaide* magazine
- Sunday Mail
Community
- Sydney
- NewsLocal, previously known as Cumberland-Courier Community Newspapers, includes titles such as:
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Adelaide
- Messenger Newspapers, which ceased publication in May 2020, with its content now integrated into the website of The Advertiser
Regional Publications
- New South Wales
- South Australia
- Messenger Newspapers (discontinued in May 2020, with its content merged into The Advertiser)
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Queensland
- Included titles:
- Gold Coast Bulletin, Townsville Bulletin, Tablelander, Innisfail Advocate, Burdekin Advocate, The Northern Miner, Herbert River Express
- Regional newspapers: The Cairns Post, Tablelands Advertiser, The Daily Mercury, Central Queensland News, The Morning Bulletin, Central Telegraph, The Observer, NewsMail, Fraser Coast Chronicle, The Gympie Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Queensland Times, The Chronicle, Warwick Daily News, The Dalby Herald, Chinchilla News and Murilla Advertiser, and The Western Star
Multiple metropolitan free newspapers, such as the mX editions, ceased operations in June 2015.
Magazines
- GQ Australia
- Vogue Australia
- Vogue Living
- Australian Golf Digest
- Super Food Ideas
- Delicious
- Big League
- Taste.com.au Magazine
Digital Platforms
- News.com.au delivers news content produced by a team of approximately 51 journalists.
- The Punch, an opinion and news website launched in 2009, was integrated into news.com.au in 2013.
- Business Spectator specializes in business-related news coverage.
- Punters.com.au, an Australian site providing horse racing news and form guides.
- Racenet.com.au, recognized as Australia's premier destination for horse racing news, tips, and form guides.
- KidSpot, a parenting-focused website acquired for $45 million.
- Realestate.com.au, a platform dedicated to property sales, rentals, and purchases.
- Code, a website offering sports news.
Gambling Interests
- Betr (holding a 33% stake)
Sports Investments
- Brisbane Broncos (69% ownership)
Television Assets
News Awards
News Corp annually presents the News Awards to honor outstanding achievements in journalism, with the highest distinction being the Sir Keith Murdoch Award for Excellence in Journalism.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- News Corp Australia
- News Corporation subsidiaries
- Mass media companies of Australia
- Holding companies of Australia
- Companies based in Adelaide
- Holding companies established in 1923
- Publishing companies established in 1923
- Australian companies established in 1923
- Australian subsidiaries of foreign companies