News Corporation facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: NWS NASDAQ: NWSA ASX: NWSLV |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Fate | Divided into New News Corp. and 21st Century Fox |
| Successor | 21st Century Fox News Corp. |
| Founded | Adelaide, Australia (1979) Delaware, United States (12 November 2004) |
| Founder | Rupert Murdoch |
| Defunct | 28 June 2013 |
| Headquarters |
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USA
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Rupert Murdoch (Chairman and CEO) Chase Carey (President and COO) |
| Products | Cable network programming, filmed entertainment, television, direct-broadcast satellite television, publishing, and other |
| Revenue |  US$ 33.706 billion (2012) |
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Operating income
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US$ 2.212 billion (2012) |
| US$ 1.179 billion (2012) |
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| Total assets | US$ 56.663 billion (2012) |
| Total equity | US$ 24.684 billion (2012) |
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Number of employees
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48,000 (2012) |
The News Corporation (or 'News Corp.') was a very large mass media company. This means it owned many different types of media businesses. These included TV channels, movie studios, newspapers, and book publishers.
News Corp. started in Adelaide, Australia, in 1979. It was founded by Rupert Murdoch. Later, in 2004, the company moved its main base to the United States. It became a public company, meaning its shares could be bought and sold on the stock market. Rupert Murdoch was the main boss, serving as chairman and CEO, until the company changed in 2013.
In 2011, News Corp. was the second biggest media company in the world based on how much money it made. It was also the third largest entertainment company in 2009.
Some of its well-known businesses included:
- The Times and The Sun newspapers in the UK.
- The Wall Street Journal newspaper in the US.
- The book publisher HarperCollins.
- The 20th Century Fox film studio.
- The Fox Broadcasting Company TV network.
On June 28, 2013, News Corporation split into two new companies. Both of these new companies are also publicly traded. One is called 21st Century Fox, which mostly handles TV and movie businesses. The other is a new company simply called News Corp, which focuses on publishing books and newspapers.
Contents
Movies and TV Shows: Filmed Entertainment
News Corp. owned many companies that made movies and TV shows. These included:
- 20th Century Fox: A famous movie studio.
- Fox Searchlight Pictures: A studio known for independent films.
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment: This company released movies on DVD and Blu-ray.
- Blue Sky Studios: An animation studio that made movies like Ice Age.
- Fox Studios Australia and Fox Studios LA: Places where movies and TV shows are filmed.
- Shine Group: A company that produced TV shows.
Television Channels and Networks
News Corp. had a huge presence in television. It owned many broadcast and cable channels around the world.
TV Channels and Production
These companies helped create and broadcast TV shows:
- 20th Century Fox Television: Produced many popular TV series.
- Fox Broadcasting Company: A major TV network in the United States.
- Fox International Channels: Operated many Fox channels outside the US.
- Foxtel: A pay-TV service in Australia.
- MyNetworkTV: Another TV network in the US.
- STAR TV: A large media company in Asia.
Cable TV Channels
News Corp. also owned parts of or all of these cable channels:
- Big Ten Network: Focused on college sports (49% owned).
- Fox Business Network: Provided news about money and business.
- Fox News Channel: A news channel.
- Fox Sports Net: A group of regional sports channels.
- FX Networks: A channel known for its dramas and comedies.
- National Geographic Channel: Showed documentaries about nature and science (50% owned).
- Speed Channel: Focused on motorsports.
Television Companies Around the World
News Corp. had ownership in major TV companies in different countries:
- BSkyB in the United Kingdom (39.1% owned).
- Sky Deutschland in Germany (49.90% owned).
- SKY Italia in Italy (100% owned).
- SKY Network Television in New Zealand (43.65% owned).
- Foxtel in Australia (25% owned).
- Star TV in India and Greater China (100% owned).
Online and Digital Media
News Corp. also had many online businesses:
- Fox Interactive Media: This included websites like:
- AmericanIdol.com
- Fox.com
- Foxsports.com
- Hulu.com (a streaming service)
- IGN (a website about video games)
- MySpace (a social media site, 5% owned).
- Authonomy: A website for writers, run by HarperCollins.
Magazines and Inserts
News Corp. published many magazines, especially in Australia. Some examples include:
- Alpha
- Australian Golf Digest
- delicious.
- GQ Australia
- MasterChef Magazine
- Vogue Australia
Newspapers and News Services
News Corp. was a major player in the newspaper industry.
Newspapers in the United Kingdom
News International, a part of News Corp., published these well-known UK newspapers:
Newspapers in Australia
News Limited, another part of News Corp., owned many newspapers across Australia.
Major City Newspapers
- The Australian: A national newspaper.
- The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)
- Herald Sun (Melbourne)
- The Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
- The Advertiser (Adelaide)
- The Sunday Times (Perth)
- The Mercury (Hobart)
- Northern Territory News (Darwin)
Local Community Newspapers
News Corp. also published many smaller, local newspapers in different areas, such as:
- In Sydney: North Shore Times, The Manly Daily.
- In Melbourne: Bayside Leader, Melbourne Leader.
- In Brisbane: City News, Northside Chronicle.
- In Adelaide: City Messenger, Eastern Courier Messenger.
- In Perth: Advocate, Canning Times.
Regional and Rural Newspapers
News Corp. also owned newspapers in smaller towns and rural areas, like:
- Geelong Advertiser (Victoria)
- Gold Coast Bulletin (Queensland)
- The Cairns Post (Queensland)
- Townsville Bulletin (Queensland)
Newspapers in the United States
- New York Post
- Wall Street Journal: A leading financial newspaper.
International News Services
Dow Jones & Company, owned by News Corp., provided global news and financial information.
- The Wall Street Journal: Published in Europe and Asia too.
- Barron's: A weekly magazine about financial markets.
- Marketwatch: A website for financial news.
- Dow Jones Newswires: Provided real-time news to businesses.
- Dow Jones Indexes: Created stock market indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Books and Publishing
- HarperCollins: A major book publisher.
- HarperCollins India: A joint venture in India.
- Zondervan Publishing: Published religious books.
- Youth Specialties: Helped youth workers with training and resources.
Other Businesses
News Corp. had a few other interesting businesses:
- National Rugby League: A professional rugby league competition in Australia.
- Fox Music: Produced music for movies and TV shows.
- Jamba!: Focused on mobile entertainment like ringtones and games.
- NDS Group: A company that worked on digital rights management for TV.
Past Businesses of News Corporation
Some companies that used to be part of News Corporation are no longer active or have been merged into other parts of the company.
- Fox Kids: A children's TV channel.
- News of the World: A newspaper that closed in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: News Corporation para niños
