James Murdoch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Murdoch
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Murdoch in 2008
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| Born |
James Rupert Jacob Murdoch
13 December 1972 |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | Harvard University (dropped out) |
| Board member of | Tesla, Inc. |
| Spouse(s) |
Kathryn Hufschmid
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) |
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| Family | Murdoch |
James Rupert Jacob Murdoch (born 13 December 1972) is an American businessman. He is known for his work in the media industry. He is the younger son of famous media owner Rupert Murdoch. From 2015 to 2019, James was the chief executive officer (CEO) of 21st Century Fox.
Before that, he was the chairman and CEO for Europe and Asia at News Corporation until 2013. This was when the company split into News Corp and 21st Century Fox. He also served as a director of News Corp.
Until 2012, he was the chairman and CEO of Sky plc in Europe and Asia. He was in charge of big media companies like News International (which published The News of the World newspaper), Sky Italia, Sky Deutschland, and STAR TV.
James Murdoch was the executive chairman of News International starting in 2007. He also held a non-executive chairman role at British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). In April 2012, he stepped down as chairman of BSkyB. This happened because of the phone hacking scandal, where he faced criticism. Later, he became chairman of Sky plc again after it merged with its Italian and German sister companies.
In July 2020, he left the board of News Corp. He said this was because he disagreed with some of the company's news content and business plans.
In 2021, Murdoch started a new business in India called Lupa Systems India. He partnered with businessman Uday Shankar for this venture.
As of September 2024, the Murdoch family is involved in a court case in the US. James, his sister Elisabeth, and half-sister Prudence are challenging their father's plan. Their father, Rupert, wants his oldest son, Lachlan, to keep control of News Corp and Fox Corp. However, the family trust was set up to benefit all six of his children equally.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Rupert Jacob Murdoch was born on 13 December 1972. He was born in Wimbledon, London, England. He is the fourth of six children of media owner Rupert Murdoch. His mother is Scottish-born journalist and author Anna Murdoch Mann. His full siblings are Elisabeth and Lachlan.
When he was young, James was seen as very smart but also a bit rebellious. He worked as an intern at a newspaper in Sydney when he was 15. He even made headlines in a rival newspaper after being photographed asleep at a press conference.
Murdoch went to Horace Mann School in New York City and finished in 1991. He then studied film and history at Harvard University. He was part of the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine. He left Harvard in 1995 without finishing his degree. With friends Brian Brater and Jarret Myer, he helped start Rawkus Records. This was an independent hip hop music company. News Corporation bought the company in 1998.
Business Career
In 1996, James Murdoch joined News Corporation. He became chairman of Festival Records. He then took charge of News Corporation's internet businesses. He invested in different online projects, like the financial website TheStreet. Some of these ventures had mixed results. He also drew cartoons for a US magazine called Gear.
He is known for getting his father interested in the internet. He reportedly tried to convince his father to buy an internet company called PointCast.
After changing the management team at Festival, Murdoch bought a controlling share of Mushroom Records in 1999. The two companies merged and became Festival Mushroom Records (FMR). At first, people thought News Corporation might use FMR to start a new international entertainment company. However, FMR struggled while Murdoch was in charge. The company closed in late 2005. Its music catalogue was sold to Warner Music.
In May 2000, Murdoch became chairman and chief executive of Star Television. This was an Asian satellite service owned by News Corporation that was losing a lot of money. He moved to Hong Kong for this role.
In February 2003, Murdoch became a director of BSkyB. Later that year, he became CEO of BSkyB. News Corporation owned a large part of this company. Some people thought his appointment was unfair because he was young and seemed to lack experience. They felt the job should have been open to other candidates.
After his brother Lachlan Murdoch left his executive roles at News Corporation in 2005, James was seen as the likely person to take over from his father.
In December 2007, Murdoch stepped down as CEO of BSkyB. He was then appointed non-executive chairman of the company. This was a position his father, Rupert, had held before.
At the same time, Murdoch also took on more responsibility for News Corporation's TV, newspaper, and digital businesses in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. This included companies like News International, Sky Italia, and STAR Group ltd. He was based at News International's office in Wapping, East London.
In February 2009, Murdoch became a non-executive director at the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.
In August 2009, Murdoch gave a speech at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. In his speech, he criticized the BBC and the UK media regulator Ofcom. He said the BBC's growth was "chilling." He also stated that "state-sponsored journalism" was a threat to diverse and independent news. The BBC chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, responded by saying the BBC's goal is to educate, inform, and contribute to public debate.
Until April 2012, he was the chairman and CEO of Sky plc in Europe and Asia. He oversaw companies like News International (publisher of The News of the World newspaper), Sky Italia, Sky Deutschland, and STAR TV.
He was executive chairman of News International from 2007 until February 2012. In April 2012, he had to resign as chairman of BSkyB. This was due to the ongoing phone hacking scandal, where he was involved.
In April 2014, it was announced that Murdoch would join the board of a new advertising company called True[X] Media.
In June 2015, his father, Rupert, announced that he would leave his CEO position at 21st Century Fox. James then took over as CEO.
In January 2016, Murdoch became the chairman of Sky, a major British TV broadcaster.
In July 2017, Murdoch became an independent director on the board of Tesla, the electric car company.
In October 2018, Murdoch left Sky after Comcast took control of the company.
In March 2019, 21st Century Fox was sold to The Walt Disney Company. This ended Murdoch's time as CEO.
Murdoch was a director of News Corp in August 2019. In July 2020, he resigned from the board. His resignation letter said he disagreed with some of the news content published by the company. He also disagreed with some of their business decisions. He specifically criticized how Australian news outlets denied the impact of climate change. This was after the severe 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
In 2021, Murdoch started the Indian part of his family business, Lupa Systems India. It was a joint venture with businessman Uday Shankar. The goal was to focus on media, education, and healthcare in Asia, especially India. In May 2022, Lupa India (renamed Bodhi Tree Systems) invested $600 million in a company called Allen Career Institute Private Limited. In April 2023, Bodhi Tree bought a share in Reliance-owned media company, Viacom18. In February 2024, Viacom18 and Disney-Star India formed a new joint company.
Family Court Case (2024)
In September 2024, the entire Murdoch family became involved in a court case in Reno, Nevada. James, his sister Elisabeth, and half-sister Prudence MacLeod are challenging their father's plan. Their father, Rupert, wants to change the family trust. He wants his oldest son, Lachlan, to keep control of News Corp and Fox Corp. However, the trust was set up so that all six of his children would benefit.
According to The New York Times, Rupert Murdoch wants his companies to stay politically conservative. He sees his other children as being too politically liberal.
The family trust was created after Rupert and Anna Murdoch divorced in 1999. It holds the family's share in News Corp. This trust only includes the children born before 1999. It gives them an equal say in the future of the business after Rupert's death. Chloe and Grace Murdoch, Rupert's children with his third wife Wendi Deng, will not have a say in the business. However, they will share in the money from the stock.
Rupert Murdoch argues that if his other children interfere, it would cause financial losses for Fox. He believes that keeping the news outlets' conservative views would protect their value.
This court case has caused James and his two sisters to become distant from their father. None of them attended his wedding to his fifth wife, Elena Zhukova, in June 2024.
Personal Life and Other Activities
Murdoch is a British citizen by birth and also a US citizen. Besides his full siblings Elisabeth and Lachlan, he has three half-sisters. These include an older half-sister Prudence, and two younger half-sisters, Grace and Chloe, from his father's third marriage to Wendi Deng.
Murdoch helped create Sky Procycling, a professional cycling team. He is also a very keen cyclist himself. He exercises early in the morning and has a black belt in karate.
Murdoch married Kathryn Hufschmid in 2000. They have three children: Anneka, Walter, and Emerson. Kathryn works for the Clinton Climate Initiative. This is a charity started by former U.S. president, Bill Clinton.
Since 2014, James and Kathryn have run the Quadrivium Foundation. This foundation supports projects that solve problems at their root. It focuses on five main areas: democracy, technology and society, scientific understanding, climate change, and the health of the world's oceans. It invests in solutions that are based on clear evidence.
Murdoch has also given money to the Clinton Foundation. This is a non-profit organization run by Chelsea, Bill, and Hillary Clinton.
In 2020, Murdoch and his wife each gave money to the Biden campaign. In September 2024, he was one of many American business leaders who signed an open letter supporting vice-president Kamala Harris for president.
He has strongly criticized Fox News for promoting false claims about election fraud after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Fox was later sued and had to pay a large amount of money.
See also
In Spanish: James Murdoch para niños
- News media phone hacking scandal
- News International phone hacking scandal
- Phone hacking scandal reference lists
- Metropolitan police role in phone hacking scandal
