News Corporation Inc (Voting CDI)

From IntFX

See also: NWS for realtime information.

News Corporation is a diversified company into entertainment industry. The Company is engaged in the operation of broadcast television stations, and the development, production and distribution of network and television programming. The Company operates in the direct broadcast satellite business through its subsidiary, SKY Italia

It has operations in following eight industry segments:

• Filmed Entertainment: The Company’s motion picture and television programming operations are world-famous. It has brand name Fox i.e. Fox Filmed Entertainment & Twentieth Century Fox Film which are responsible for some of the top grossing movies. Similarly it has television production, Twentieth Century Fox Television

• Television: It includes FOX Broadcasting Company, the number one network in the United States, STAR in Asia and various television operations in Eastern Europe

• Cable Network Programming: It produces and licenses programming for distribution on cable television and direct broadcast satellite platforms. The segment’s operations include FOX News Channel, FX, Fox Sports Net and many other popular pay-TV channels in US.

• Direct Broadcast Satellite Television: The Company owns Italy’s most popular pay-TV company, SKY Italia, having more than 4 million subscribers. The Company also has significant holdings in BSkyB and the largest satellite broadcaster in the U.S., The DIRECTV Group

• Magazines and Inserts: The Company delivers brand messages to more than 200 million shoppers through its consumer marketing services. It also publishes several special-interest publications and is the largest shareholder in Gemstar-TV Guide International, the world’s foremost provider of interactive programming guides and the popular TV Guide magazine

• Newspapers: It publishes English-language newspapers, with operations in the UK, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and U.S. This segment includes News International, which publishes four newspapers in U.K.; News Limited, which publishes more than 110 national, capital city and suburban newspapers in Australia; and the New York Post in the U.S.

• Book Publishing: The Company has HarperCollins which is one of the world’s pre-eminent English-language book publishers

• Other Asset: This segment includes MySpace, premier lifestyle and social-networking site, and several media properties that comprise Fox Interactive Media; NDS Group, the world’s main supplier of end-to-end digital pay-TV solutions and News Outdoor, the leading out-of-home advertising company

Following are few key events in 2007:

• News Corp acquired Federal Publishing Company’s magazine group in Feb’07

• The Company's division, Fox Interactive Media, completed the acquisition of interactive advertising technology company, Strategic Data Corporation in March’07

• It entered into a definitive merger agreement with Dow Jones & Company wherein News Corporation will acquire Dow Jones in a transaction valued at approximately $5.6 billion

• New Corp aims to reduce its operations’ carbon emissions significantly and to engage its employees and its millions of readers, viewers and web users around the world on this issue

The Company’s activities are principally concentrated in the United States, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin. It is listed in New York Stock Exchange (NWS & NWS.A) and in Australia Stock Exchange (NWS & NWSLV). It has around 53000 employees worldwide and is rated amongst top entertainment company.

[edit] Strategy

News Corp has strategy to increase the audience and spread its regions. It is aiming for organic and inorganic growth by expanding in new areas of entertainment and new industry and also venturing into new regions.

[edit] Financial and operational performance

In 2007, Operating income increased to $4.45 billion, up 15 percent and revenues of $28.7 billion, a 13 percent gain. Income from continuing operations grew by 22 percent to $3.4 billion, or $1.08 per share.