Key Highlights

• News Corporation (ASX:NWS) reported first quarter fiscal 2027 revenues of US$2.28 billion, a 6% increase year-over-year, marking its fourteenth consecutive quarter of profitability growth.

• Total Segment EBITDA reached US$403 million, up 19% from US$340 million in the prior year period.

• Dow Jones revenues rose 8% driven by digital subscription growth, with Wall Street Journal digital subscriptions climbing 11% to nearly 4.7 million.

• Book Publishing delivered 9% Revenue growth, while Digital Real Estate Services revenues increased 10% year-over-year.

News Corporation(ASX:NWS), the global diversified media and information services company, reported its fiscal 2027 first quarter financial results on 4 November 2026, revealing a record performance across its key Business segments. The company, which operates across information services, digital real estate and book publishing, posted total revenues of US$2.28 billion for the three months ended 30 September 2026, representing a 6% increase compared to US$2.14 billion in the corresponding period of the prior year.

Quarterly Revenue and Earnings Performance

Net income for the quarter came in at US$215 million, a 43% increase compared to US$150 million in the prior year. Reported Earnings Per Share were US$0.29, up from US$0.20, while adjusted EPS reached US$0.28 compared to US$0.22 a year earlier. Total Segment EBITDA expanded 19% to US$403 million from US$340 million, with adjusted Total Segment EBITDA rising 13%. The results included a US$43 million positive impact from foreign currency fluctuations, representing approximately 2% of the revenue increase.

Dow Jones and Digital Real Estate Services

The Dow Jones segment posted revenues of US$630 million, up 8% from US$586 million, driven by higher circulation and subscription revenues along with digital Advertising growth of 12%. Digital revenues now represent 85% of Dow Jones total revenues. Wall Street Journal total subscriptions grew 9% to 5.0 million, with digital-only subscriptions climbing 11% to nearly 4.7 million. The Dow Jones Risk and Compliance business delivered 11% revenue growth to US$104 million, while Dow Jones Energy grew 8% to US$79 million. Segment EBITDA for Dow Jones increased 11% to US$160 million.

In Digital Real Estate Services, revenues rose 10% to US$529 million, with segment EBITDA surging 34% to US$212 million. REA Group contributed revenues of US$369 million, up 13%, while Move, operator of Realtor.com, posted revenues of US$160 million, representing 5% growth. REA Group's performance was driven by higher Australian residential revenues from price increases and growth in add-on products, though Australian national residential buy listing volumes declined 2% year-over-year.

Book Publishing and News Media

HarperCollins, the book publishing arm, recorded revenues of US$582 million, a 9% increase from US$534 million. Growth was supported by performance in General Books and Children's Publishing, with digital sales rising 6% and backlist titles accounting for approximately 66% of consumer revenues. Segment EBITDA grew 29% to US$75 million, benefiting from the revenue increase and the absence of a US$13 million customer receivable write-off recorded in the prior year.

The News Media segment saw revenues decline 1% to US$540 million, primarily due to lower print advertising revenues, though a US$17 million positive currency impact partially offset the decrease. Segment EBITDA for News Media fell 40% to US$18 million. Digital revenues represented 41% of the segment's total, up from 38% in the prior year.

AI Content Licensing and Strategic Positioning

CEO Robert Thomson highlighted the company's positioning in the artificial intelligence landscape, noting content licensing partnerships with OpenAI and Meta as part of News Corp's strategy to monetise its intellectual property in the AI era. The company indicated it would continue to pursue both partnerships and legal action to protect content rights, signalling ongoing negotiations with technology platforms regarding the use of News Corp's content for AI Training and applications.

The Road Ahead

News Corporation's first quarter results demonstrated continued revenue Diversification and Margin expansion, with its three primary growth engines in Digital Real Estate Services, Dow Jones and Book Publishing collectively outperforming. The company's digital transformation continued to progress, with digital revenues now representing a majority across most segments. Management indicated a focus on continued growth and profitability through cost discipline and Capital stewardship heading into the remainder of fiscal 2027.