News Corp Reports Second Quarter Results for Fiscal 2021

News Corp Reports Second Quarter Results for Fiscal 2021

Fiscal 2021 Second Quarter Key Financial Highlights

Revenues were $2.41 billion, a 3% decline compared to $2.48 billion in the prior year - Adjusted Revenues increased 2% compared to the prior year

Net income of $261 million compared to $103 million in the prior year

Total Segment EBITDA was $497 million compared to $355 million in the prior year

Reported diluted EPS were $0.39 compared to $0.14 in the prior year - Adjusted EPS were $0.34 compared to $0.18 in the prior year

Book Publishing Segment EBITDA increased 65% compared to the prior year, driven by strong revenue growth across every category

Move, operator of realtor.com , reported 28% revenue growth and was a key driver of Segment EBITDA growth at the Digital Real Estate Services segment

Dow Jones reported 43% Segment EBITDA growth, driven by record digital advertising revenues and continued growth in digital subscriptions

Subscription Video Services Segment EBITDA grew 77% as Foxtel benefited from lower costs while reaching a record of more than 1.3 million paying OTT subscribers as of the quarter end

New York, NY - February 4, 2021 - News Corporation ( News Corp or the Company ) (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) today reported financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2020.

Commenting on the results, Chief Executive Robert Thomson said:

The second quarter of fiscal 2021 was the most profitable quarter since the new News Corp was launched more than seven years ago, reflecting the ongoing digital transformation of the business. We reported the largest profits for Dow Jones since the acquisition of the company in 2007, with Segment EBITDA increasing 43 percent and traffic across the Dow Jones digital network surging 48 percent.

There was also a 77 percent rise in Segment EBITDA at the Subscription Video Services segment, where the exponential evolution at Foxtel continued apace, with streaming customers increasing over 90 percent, rights costs reset and audiences for summer sports at unprecedented levels.

Rapid expansion continued at Move, which accounted for about 80 percent of Segment EBITDA growth in the Digital Real Estate Services segment, while revenue grew 28 percent compared to a year earlier. Realtor.com 's traffic growth has now outpaced that of Zillow for the last 11 months in a row, according to Comscore, and monthly average unique users were 37 percent higher during the quarter compared to the prior year.

In the Book Publishing segment, HarperCollins' revenues rose 23 percent, with double digit growth across every category, and a 65 percent burgeoning of Segment EBITDA. And history was also made at the New York Post, which reported its first profit in modern times - a notable feat for what had been a chronic loss-making masthead founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton.

Second Quarter Results

The Company reported fiscal 2021 second quarter total revenues of $2.41 billion, 3% lower compared to $2.48 billion in the prior year period. The decline was mainly due to lower revenues at the News Media segment, primarily driven by a $191 million, or 8%, negative impact from the divestiture of News America Marketing, weakness in the print advertising market, and a $34 million, or 1%, negative impact from the closure or transition to digital of certain regional and community newspapers in Australia. The decline was partially offset by growth in the Book Publishing, Digital Real Estate Services and Dow Jones segments, as well as a $75 million, or 3%, positive impact from foreign currency fluctuations. Adjusted Revenues (which exclude the foreign currency impact, acquisitions and divestitures as defined in Note 2) increased 2%.

Net income for the quarter was $261 million compared to $103 million in the prior year, reflecting higher Total Segment EBITDA, as discussed below, and higher Other, net, partially offset by higher tax expense.

The Company reported second quarter Total Segment EBITDA of $497 million, a 40% increase compared to $355 million in the prior year. The increase was primarily due to the strong performance at key segments, driven by a combination of improved operating trends and cost reductions, as well as an $18 million, or 6%, positive impact from foreign currency fluctuations. Adjusted Total Segment EBITDA (as defined in Note 2) increased 39%.

Diluted net income per share attributable to News Corporation stockholders was $0.39 as compared to $0.14 in the prior year.

Adjusted EPS (as defined in Note 3) were $0.34 compared to $0.18 in the prior year.

Please click here for the full Earnings Release information.

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About News Corp

News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. The company comprises businesses across a range of media, including: digital real estate services, subscription video services in Australia, news and information services and book publishing. Headquartered in New York, News Corp operates primarily in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and its content and other products and services are distributed and consumed worldwide. More information is available at: http://www.newscorp.com.

Contacts

News Corp Investor Relations

Michael Florin

212-416-3363

mflorin@newscorp.com

News Corp Corporate Communications

Jim Kennedy

212-416-4064

jkennedy@newscorp.com

LINK:	https://newscorp.com/2021/02/04/news-corp-reports-second-quarter-resul...
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