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News Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue up 9% to $2.19 billion: Total revenues were $2,185 million, up from $2,009 million. Adjusted Revenues, which exclude currency, acquisitions and divestitures, rose 4%. Source
  • Net income and segment EBITDA rose: Net income from continuing operations was $121 million, up 13%. Total Segment EBITDA was $343 million, up 18%, and Adjusted Total Segment EBITDA rose 13%. Source
  • EPS and Adjusted EPS both higher: EPS from continuing operations was $0.16, against $0.14 a year earlier. Adjusted EPS was $0.21, against $0.17. Source
  • Dow Jones revenue up 8%: Dow Jones revenue rose $44 million, or 8%, to $619 million. Risk & Compliance grew 19% to $100 million and Dow Jones Energy grew 12%. Source
  • REA Group revenue up 20%: REA Group revenues rose to $325 million, including a $31 million currency benefit. Management cited Australian residential price increases and add-on growth. Source
  • News Media Segment EBITDA down 55%: Segment EBITDA fell $18 million, or 55%, to $15 million. Adjusted Segment EBITDA fell 61%. Source
  • Free cash flow little changed: Free cash flow was $535 million for the nine months, against $539 million, as capital expenditures rose to $280 million from $250 million. Source

“The third quarter was compelling evidence of the transformation of our business, and demonstrated the robustness of our core growth engines, which we expect will propel us towards a strong fiscal finish.”

Robert Thomson, Chief Executive

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Dow Jones Segment EBITDA Sourcewithin five years, from the March 2026 investor briefing$1 billion in annual Segment EBITDANew

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Management cited a recent deal with Meta that complements the existing partnership with OpenAI. Source
  • New guidance: A pathway to $1 billion of annual Dow Jones Segment EBITDA within five years was announced at the March 16 investor briefing. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue up 9% to $2.19 billion: Total revenues were $2,185 million, up from $2,009 million. Adjusted Revenues, which exclude currency, acquisitions and divestitures, rose 4%. Source
  • Net income and segment EBITDA rose: Net income from continuing operations was $121 million, up 13%. Total Segment EBITDA was $343 million, up 18%, and Adjusted Total Segment EBITDA rose 13%. Source
  • EPS and Adjusted EPS both higher: EPS from continuing operations was $0.16, against $0.14 a year earlier. Adjusted EPS was $0.21, against $0.17. Source
  • Nine-month segment EBITDA up 10%: Nine-month revenues were $6,691 million, up 5%. Nine-month Total Segment EBITDA was $1,204 million, up 10%. Source

Dow Jones segment

  • Dow Jones revenue up 8%: Dow Jones revenue rose $44 million, or 8%, to $619 million. Risk & Compliance grew 19% to $100 million and Dow Jones Energy grew 12%. Source
  • Wall Street Journal subscriptions up 8%: Total Wall Street Journal subscriptions averaged 4.7 million, up 8%. Digital-only subscriptions averaged 4.3 million, up 11%. Source
  • Digital share of advertising rose: Digital advertising grew 13% and made up 67% of advertising revenue, while print advertising fell 6%. Source
  • Dow Jones Segment EBITDA up 11%: Segment EBITDA rose $15 million, or 11%, to $147 million. Higher employee costs partly offset the revenue growth. Source

“Given our firm belief that the current share price does not reflect the intrinsic value of the company or its prospects, we have continued to execute our enhanced buyback program at an accelerated rate.”

Robert Thomson, Chief Executive

Digital Real Estate Services

  • REA Group revenue up 20%: REA Group revenues rose to $325 million, including a $31 million currency benefit. Management cited Australian residential price increases and add-on growth. Source
  • Sydney and Melbourne listings grew: Australian national residential buy listing volumes were up 1%, with Sydney listings up 4% and Melbourne listings up 7%. Source
  • Move revenue up 10% on premium products: Move revenue rose $13 million, or 10%, to $148 million, mainly from RealPRO Select sales as Move shifts to premium offerings. Source
  • Realtor.com users flat, leads up: Average monthly unique users of Realtor.com were 66 million, flat on the prior year. Lead volume rose 6%. Source

Book Publishing

  • Book revenue up 8% on Heated Rivalry: Book Publishing revenue rose to $555 million, including a $12 million currency benefit and $6 million from acquisitions. Adjusted Revenues rose 4%. Source
  • Book segment EBITDA up 14%: Segment EBITDA rose $9 million to $73 million. Higher costs tied to higher sales volume partly offset the revenue gain. Source
  • Digital book sales up 11%: Digital sales rose 11% and were 26% of consumer revenues. Backlist sales were about 64% of consumer revenues. Source

News Media

  • News Media revenue up 5% on currency: Segment revenues rose $24 million, or 5%, to $538 million, with a $38 million currency benefit. Adjusted Revenues fell 2%. Source
  • News Media Segment EBITDA down 55%: Segment EBITDA fell $18 million, or 55%, to $15 million. Adjusted Segment EBITDA fell 61%. Source
  • News Corp Australia digital subscribers up: Closing digital subscribers at News Corp Australia reached 1,171,000, including 992,000 for news mastheads, against 1,148,000 a year earlier. Source
  • Times digital subscribers up: The Times and Sunday Times closing digital subscribers were 676,000, up from 629,000 a year earlier. Source
  • Audience reach lower at Sun and Post: The Sun reached 65 million global monthly unique users in March 2026, against 74 million. New York Post’s digital network reached 78 million, against 85 million. Source

Costs, margins and tax

  • Other segment cost loss narrowed: Other segment EBITDA loss narrowed to $47 million from $63 million, mainly on lower employee costs. Source
  • Income tax expense rose: Income tax expense from continuing operations was $68 million, up from $44 million, partly offsetting the higher segment EBITDA. Source
  • Impairment and restructuring charges up: Impairment and restructuring charges were $18 million, up from $13 million in the quarter. Source
  • Currency added to revenue: Foreign currency fluctuations added $88 million, or 5%, to revenues. Adjusted Revenues remove this effect. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Operating cash flow higher: Operating cash flow from continuing operations was $815 million for the nine months, $26 million higher than a year earlier. Source
  • Free cash flow little changed: Free cash flow was $535 million for the nine months, against $539 million, as capital expenditures rose to $280 million from $250 million. Source
  • Share repurchases rose sharply: Nine-month share repurchases were $456 million, against $114 million. Dividends paid were $149 million, against $128 million. Source
  • Cash balance lower since June: Cash and cash equivalents were $2,171 million at March 31, 2026, against $2,403 million at June 30, 2025. Source

AI licensing and content protection

  • Positioning as an AI inputs company: Management describes the company as an AI inputs company, pointing to the recent Meta deal and the OpenAI partnership. Source
  • Tracking firms that scrape content: Management said it is tracking digital firms it describes as scraping content illicitly and intends to pursue them. Source
  • Buyers of scraped content named: Management said it believes companies that buy this content from those firms are also culpable. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Talks with other AI companies: Management said it is in discussions with other companies on content provenance, and said these potential deals could affect revenue and profitability. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total average consumer subscriptions, Dow Jones (thousands) Source6,546
Wall Street Journal digital-only subscriptions (thousands) Source4,332
Realtor.com lead volume growth Source6%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Print advertising declined at News UK, which partly offset advertising growth in News Media. Source
  • Financial: Higher tax expense partly offset the growth in net income from continuing operations. Source
  • External: Management said digital firms scrape its content illicitly and that it intends to pursue them. Source
  • Operational: Costs for the recently launched California Post contributed to lower News Media Segment EBITDA. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said it remains on track for another year of record profitability. Source
  • Met: In February management said it would host a Dow Jones investor briefing. The company reports that the briefing was held on March 16. Source

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.