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News Corp.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 February 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 6%, profit rose 9%: Revenues reached $2.36 billion, up 6%, with adjusted revenues up 3%. Total Segment EBITDA was $521 million, up 9%, and adjusted Total Segment EBITDA rose 7%. Source
  • Net income fell on prior-year gain: Net income from continuing operations was $242 million, down 21%, due to the absence of an $87 million gain on REA Group's sale of PropertyGuru last year, partly offset by higher Total Segment EBITDA. Source
  • Dow Jones revenue up 8%: Dow Jones revenues were $648 million, up 8%, with segment EBITDA of $191 million, up 10%. Digital revenues were 82% of segment revenues, against 81% a year earlier. Source
  • Digital Real Estate Services gained 8%: Revenues were $511 million, up 8%. REA Group revenues rose 7% to $368 million, and Move revenues rose 10% to $143 million. Segment EBITDA was $206 million, up 11%. Source
  • Book write-off hit segment profit: Results include a $16 million one-time write-off, mainly for inventory at HarperCollins international operations. The write-off was largely offset by higher revenues in Book Publishing segment EBITDA. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose $38 million: Six-month operating cash flow from continuing operations was $316 million, up $38 million, on higher Total Segment EBITDA partly offset by working capital. Free cash flow was $136 million, against $121 million. Source
  • Share repurchases increased sharply: Six-month share repurchases were $264 million, against $78 million, and dividends paid were $104 million, against $92 million. Source
  • Bloomberg AI rights expanded: The Bloomberg partnership was expanded to include AI rights for Dow Jones content. Other negotiations are progressing, according to management. Source

“We are delighted to report excellent second quarter results with both revenue and profitability growth accelerating from the prior quarter, and we see favorable signs for the second half of our fiscal year.”

Robert Thomson, Chief Executive

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Dividend Sourcepayable April 8, 2026$0.10 per share, semi-annual

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The Bloomberg partnership was expanded this quarter to include AI rights for Dow Jones content, and other negotiations are in progress. Source
  • New: News Media Segment EBITDA included modest investment at the New York Post tied to the launch of the California Post. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 6%, profit rose 9%: Revenues reached $2.36 billion, up 6%, with adjusted revenues up 3%. Total Segment EBITDA was $521 million, up 9%, and adjusted Total Segment EBITDA rose 7%. Source
  • Net income fell on prior-year gain: Net income from continuing operations was $242 million, down 21%, due to the absence of an $87 million gain on REA Group's sale of PropertyGuru last year, partly offset by higher Total Segment EBITDA. Source
  • Adjusted EPS higher, diluted EPS lower: Diluted EPS from continuing operations was $0.34 against $0.40 a year earlier. Adjusted EPS was $0.40 against $0.33. Source

Segments and regions

  • Dow Jones revenue up 8%: Dow Jones revenues were $648 million, up 8%, with segment EBITDA of $191 million, up 10%. Digital revenues were 82% of segment revenues, against 81% a year earlier. Source
  • Digital Real Estate Services gained 8%: Revenues were $511 million, up 8%. REA Group revenues rose 7% to $368 million, and Move revenues rose 10% to $143 million. Segment EBITDA was $206 million, up 11%. Source
  • Book Publishing revenue reached quarterly record: Book Publishing revenues were $633 million, up 6%, aided by $15 million from acquisitions. Segment EBITDA was $99 million, down 2%, after a $16 million write-off. Source
  • News Media revenue flat, profit lower: Segment revenues were $570 million, flat. Segment EBITDA was $70 million, down 5%, on lower News Corp Australia contribution and New York Post launch investment. Circulation revenue rose 4%. Source

“It is clear that expectations of AI’s impact are continuing to evolve and that the more perceptive players have come to realize that provenance is paramount.”

Robert Thomson, Chief Executive

Products and customers

  • Consumer subscriptions up 10%: Average total subscriptions to Dow Jones consumer products were over 6.5 million, up 10%. Digital-only subscriptions grew 12% to over 6.0 million. Source
  • Wall Street Journal digital subscriptions up 13%: Digital-only Wall Street Journal subscriptions averaged nearly 4.3 million, up 13%, and were 92% of total Wall Street Journal subscriptions, driven by enterprise and individual consumer growth. Source
  • Move shifts toward premium offerings: Move attributed higher revenue to RealPRO Select sales as it focuses on premium products with higher revenue per lead. Average monthly unique users were 62 million, up 1%. Source
  • Digital sales of books grew 2%: Digital book sales rose 2%, driven by e-books. Digital sales were 20% of Consumer revenues, against 21%. Backlist sales were about 59% of Consumer revenues, against 61%. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Book write-off hit segment profit: Results include a $16 million one-time write-off, mainly for inventory at HarperCollins international operations. The write-off was largely offset by higher revenues in Book Publishing segment EBITDA. Source
  • Dow Jones costs rose with sales: Dow Jones segment EBITDA growth was partly reduced by higher employee and marketing costs. Adjusted Segment EBITDA for Dow Jones rose 9%. Source
  • Currency added to reported results: Foreign currency added $26 million, or 2%, to reported revenues and $6 million to Total Segment EBITDA. Adjusted revenues rose 3%. Source
  • Other corporate costs narrowed: The Other category's segment EBITDA loss was $45 million, against $56 million a year earlier. For the six months the loss was $95 million, against $101 million. Source

“We also continued to actively execute on our expanded buyback program, which has been running at over four times the prior rate, reflecting our confidence in News Corp's strong cash position and belief in the intrinsic value of the Company.”

Robert Thomson, Chief Executive

Demand and audience

  • Risk & Compliance revenue up 20%: Risk & Compliance revenues reached $96 million, up 20%, with a modest contribution from recent acquisitions. Professional information revenues rose 12% overall. Source
  • Dow Jones advertising up 10%: Dow Jones advertising revenues rose 10%, with digital advertising up 12% to a record and print advertising up 7%. Digital was 65% of advertising revenues. Source
  • Australian listing volumes fell: Australian national residential buy listing volumes were down 3%, despite higher listings in Sydney of 7% and Melbourne of 4%. Source
  • News Media print advertising declined: News Media advertising revenues fell 6%, mainly from lower print advertising, partly offset by a 2% positive currency effect. Source
  • New York Post reach declined: The New York Post digital network reached 85 million unique users in December 2025, down from 90 million a year earlier. Source

Cash, capital and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow rose $38 million: Six-month operating cash flow from continuing operations was $316 million, up $38 million, on higher Total Segment EBITDA partly offset by working capital. Free cash flow was $136 million, against $121 million. Source
  • Share repurchases increased sharply: Six-month share repurchases were $264 million, against $78 million, and dividends paid were $104 million, against $92 million. Source
  • Cash balance declined: Cash and cash equivalents were $2,051 million at December 31, 2025, down from $2,403 million at June 30, 2025. Source
  • Acquisitions and equity investments: Six-month acquisitions, net of cash acquired, were $97 million, against $13 million. Purchases of equity investments were $30 million, against $107 million. Source

Strategy, AI licensing and investor event

  • Bloomberg AI rights expanded: The Bloomberg partnership was expanded to include AI rights for Dow Jones content. Other negotiations are progressing, according to management. Source
  • Premium content priced for provenance: Management said it believes insightful companies will pay a premium for premium content, and that understanding content provenance is central to AI use. Source
  • Dow Jones potential to be highlighted: Management said it will host an investor briefing next month to highlight Dow Jones potential. Source

Coming up, as management said on 5 February 2026

  • Investor briefing on March 16: News Corp will host a Dow Jones investor briefing in New York City on March 16. Source
  • Dividend payable April 8: The $0.10 semi-annual dividend is payable April 8, 2026 to holders of record on March 11, 2026. Source
  • Third-quarter prospects described: Management said it believes prospects for the third quarter are auspicious, citing the trajectory of its core drivers. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Dow Jones consumer subscriptions, average total Sourceover 6.5 million
Wall Street Journal digital-only subscriptions, average Sourcenearly 4.3 million
Realtor.com average monthly unique users Source62 million
Realtor.com lead volume change Sourceup 13%
News Corp Australia closing digital subscribers Source1,168,000 (999,000 for news mastheads)
The Sun global monthly unique users Source70 million
New York Post digital network unique users Source85 million

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: News Media circulation growth was partly offset by declining print volume. Source
  • Operational: REA India revenue declined after the sale of PropTiger and the closure of Housing Edge. Source
  • Financial: Operating cash flow growth was partly offset by higher working capital. Source
  • External: Management said expectations for AI's impact are changing, which affects the timing and terms of content licensing. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it continued to execute on the expanded buyback program. Source
  • Not stated: In the prior quarter management said it expected to announce further partnerships soon. The current release reports the Bloomberg AI rights expansion.
  • Not stated: In the prior quarter management said it expected strong free cash flow this fiscal year. Six-month free cash flow was $136 million, against $121 million.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.