NEWSCORP Annual Report NEWSCORP Annual Annual R eport 2008 20 08 Across the Globe, A billion times A dAy we cApture imaginAtions And open minds NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report we cApture imaginAtions And open minds NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report to new ideAs And new outlooks new wAys of perceivinG the world Around us in more thAn 100 countries And 30 lAnGuages NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report Across six continents throuGh film, television, cAble, sAtellite, newspApers, magazines, books And diGitAl mediA 8 NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report throuGh film, television, cAble, sAtellite, newspApers, magazines, books And diGitAl mediA the 64,000 pAssionAte individuAls who mAke up the world’s most internAtionAl mediA compAny Are dedicAted to: 0 NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report the 64,000 pAssionAte individuAls who mAke up the world’s most internAtionAl mediA compAny Are dedicAted to: >informing with > entertaining with >connecting the world >challenging with A purpose A passion A mission “We hAve And must continue to creAte content thAt consumers increAsinGly wAnt Across the whole spectrum of mediA.” NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report A Letter from Rupert Murdoch he close of the fiscal year at news corporation some of our top performers this past year include sky italia, has seen the continuation of an extraordinary which nearly doubled its operating income from a year ago winning streak – our sixth consecutive year of record to $419 million, and cable network programming, where earnings. our operating income for 2008 was operating income was up 16% – a huge achievement given the t$5.4 billion, our cash position was strong, and our balance tremendous startup costs for the FOX business network and sheet extremely robust. the big ten network. in filmed entertainment, we posted our seventh straight year of operating growth – and one of the these figures reflect the proven benefits of a long-term strategy highest margins in the entertainment industry. this success that is both global and digital, taking advantage of these was fueled by the strong worldwide theatrical and home two most profound trends of our time to create value for our entertainment performances of films likeThe Simpsons Movie, stockholders. this strategy will be all the more important for our Live Free or Die Hard and Alvin and the Chipmunks. stockholders as we navigate in the fluky economic winds that have becalmed or tossed other companies and some countries. meanwhile, in Australia and the u.k., our newspapers are doing very well in challenging environments. And on the while there is understandable concern about prospects for the global digital front, fox interactive media saw a five-fold u.s. economy, we are seeing surprising growth in many parts increase in operating income. results like these are the of the world that have traditionally been vulnerable to the reason that news corporation can report double digit merest hint of downturn in America. An industrial revolution is growth for both revenue and operating income. And continuing almost unabated in india and china, much of latin they reinforce our drive to take advantage of the opportunities America is prospering and eastern europe seems to be on arising in a fast-changing media landscape, while, at all a different, more positive track than that of western europe. times, being focused on giving our viewers, readers and these unprecedented economic patterns are reflective of consumers more and better choices. by anticipating and, in part, derived from an unusual phase in the evolution and satisfying consumers’ needs and demands, we are of global financial markets. it is presumed that we are in the ensuring that our stockholders, too, will be rewarded midst of a “credit crisis,” but in reality we have more a crisis with long-term value. of confidence than a shortage of credit. Advances in technology are changing the means of delivering there is no doubt that asset values are under pressure in some content and the very character of content itself – increased parts of the world and that financial institutions are, quite speeds of delivery have meant, for example, the popularization rightly, re-evaluating risk, but money continues to flow to of video on the internet and a fundamental shift in the role sound companies and to clever ideas. we are in the fortuitous of the mobile phone. these changes are providing remarkable position of having a group of complementary properties whose opportunities for our company around the world. we have and global reach and digital potential puts us in a position to must continue to create content that consumers increasingly flourish while others are floundering. want across the whole spectrum of media – whether it be A letter from rupert murdoch the social networking of myspace or the customized financial information will be more relevant than ever – and the intelligence provided by dow Jones, which, in line with our core strategic moves we are making today mean that we are strategy, are both global and digital in their missions. primed to exploit this long-term opportunity. there is no shortage of newspaper naysaying, but The Wall Another way we are investing in our future is by using the Street Journal gives us an international platform to deliver revenues from our established enterprises to feed the growth specialist financial information to premium subscribers and of new enterprises based on new business models. fox the paper itself is defying industry trends. the Journal is the interactive media is a good example of this evolution. in less only one of the top 15 u.s. newspapers to have increased than three years, it has become nearly a billion dollar business. its circulation during the first half of calendar 2008. since clearly, we’re still in the early stages of figuring out the best becoming part of news corporation, the number of monthly ways to translate its huge potential into advertising revenue, visitors to wsj.com has surged by almost 90 percent and we are but we are encouraged by what we see. in may, myspace hit only just getting started. i believe that wsj.com and the Journal an all time high with nearly 74 million unique u.s. visitors are among our greatest opportunities for growth. by making key for the month – and it continues to add tens of thousands investments now, we will give Journal readers and advertisers of new users from around the world each month. even more of what they want – and ensure that it remains the first more important, our profits-per-user are up an astonishing choice for news and information for many millions of people 53% over last year. around the world, whether in print, on the web, through As we continue to position ourselves for the digital future, a mobile phone or on a new device. we’re also making important short-term moves to ensure t the moment, the biggest growth area of dow that a slowing economy does not slow us down. we are Jones is its enterprise media Group. this group strengthening our balance sheet – by divesting non-strategic includes the dow Jones indexes, factiva and assets and focusing instead on assets and investments that newswires businesses – and it generates the we believe represent our next generation of growth. in the majorityA of dow Jones profits. so we are continuing to invest past year, we also completed a $10.1 billion stock buyback in these businesses and to integrate dow Jones assets through the exchange of our interest in DIRECTV, three rsns throughout the news corporation family. dow Jones is working and approximately $625 million in cash for liberty media’s in partnership with stAr and myspace to broaden the global 16% interest in our common stock. finally, we received cash audience for its premium content, and is developing a web- for our position in Gemstar-TV Guide and sold eight television based strategy that reaches far beyond traditional institutional stations. these two transactions netted the company consumers at a time of fast-growing international demand for approximately $2 billion. together our sales, buybacks and trusted business information and analysis. for consumers divestitures have put us in a strong cash position and will in the 21st century, the timely delivery of high quality financial improve returns to stockholders. NEWSCORP 008 Annual Report "i hAve confidence in the future becAuse i know the chArActer And Ability of the 64,000 dedicAted individuAls who mAke up the news corporAtion fAmily: women And men with A pAssion for innovAtion, An Aversion to complAcency – And A belief thAt All consumers deserve quAlity And choice." At a time when some parts of the world are affected by skills to make a better life for themselves and their families. economic and geopolitical uncertainty, having a healthy balance their rise is to be celebrated and will surely provide our sheet is important to us. today, news corporation is the company with extraordinary opportunities in the future. most global and most competitive media and entertainment i have confidence in that future becausei know the character company on earth. the international network of related and ability of the 64,000 dedicated individuals who make up businesses that we are building, businesses which are far more the news corporation family: women and men with a passion than the sum of their parts, will be a platform for future growth for innovation, an aversion to complacency – and a belief that and for stockholder returns. every day, we reach more than all consumers deserve quality and choice. these talented a billion people through television, films, books, newspapers, individuals are attracted to news corporation because they satellite technology and the internet. many of our most exciting know we offer a place where they will be given the freedom opportunities for growth continue to be overseas.