News Corp Completes Acquisition of Investor’s Business Daily

Rhea-AI Summary

News Corp has completed the acquisition of Investor's Business Daily (IBD) from O'Neil Capital Management. This profitable and rapidly growing financial news business will be operated under Dow Jones, a subsidiary of News Corp. With around 130 employees, IBD is expected to enhance Dow Jones's offerings, leveraging its digital platform that has seen substantial growth in subscriptions and traffic. The acquisition aligns with News Corp's strategy to strengthen its position in the business and finance media sector, providing additional value to readers and investors.

Positive

• IBD has experienced double-digit revenue growth in recent years.
• Digital sales account for over 90% of IBD's revenues, indicating a strong online presence.
• IBD has roughly 100,000 digital subscribers and a monthly audience of 10.8 million unique visitors.

Negative

• None.

News Corp announced today that it has successfully completed its acquisition of Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) from O’Neil Capital Management.

As previously announced, the high margin, profitable and rapidly growing financial news and research business will be operated by Dow Jones, a News Corp subsidiary.

“We welcome IBD and its talented employees to News Corp and Dow Jones, and look forward to the many and varied ways in which this thriving digital business will expand our expertise and provide extra value to readers, clients and investors,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. “I have long admired the investment nous and digital savvy of IBD, and its timely arrival will enable us to cross-sell and upsell products across our flourishing portfolio.”

Almar Latour, CEO, Dow Jones, said: “Today is an exciting day for News Corp, Dow Jones, IBD and most importantly, our collective readers and customers. Working together, we will share skills and strengths, as well as legacies of trusted journalism to create industry leading connections with the professional and retail investor communities. The completion of this acquisition marks another step in furthering our ambition to become the most impactful business and finance media and information company.”

Jerry Ferrara, President of Investor’s Business Daily, said: "Today marks the official start of an exciting new chapter for our business as we join the News Corp and Dow Jones family. This shift only further bolsters our fundamental commitment to serve investors with the innovative digital products, trusted resources and authoritative information they need to navigate the markets, and we are eager to discover fresh opportunities to enhance and expand the impact of our initiatives."

IBD, which has approximately 130 employees, will continue to be based at its headquarters in Los Angeles, and will operate as a stand-alone brand as part of Dow Jones. In the quarter ended December 31, 2020, Dow Jones achieved its highest quarterly Segment EBITDA since 2007, with traffic across the Dow Jones digital network also surging 48 percent. Dow Jones is home to The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Barron’s and Mansion Global, among other publications, products and news sites.

IBD has experienced double-digit revenue growth over the past several years, with digital representing more than 90% of IBD’s revenues and subscriptions. A majority of IBD’s annual revenues and profits come from the company’s unique investor tools, research and analysis products, which have experienced sharp increases in popularity and profitability as more and more investors seek out quality information through digital products to guide their financial decisions. IBD’s revenue base is almost entirely digital, with nearly 100,000 digital subscribers across its platforms. IBD operates the investors.com website, which reached an audience of 10.8 million average monthly unique visitors in February, 2021, according to Adobe Analytics.

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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The words “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “believe,” “potential” and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include statements with respect to, among other things, the potential benefits from, the acquisition of IBD. Readers are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date and News Corp and Dow Jones undertake no obligation (and expressly disclaim any obligation) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210505005615/en/

FAQ

What is the purpose of News Corp's acquisition of Investor's Business Daily?

The acquisition aims to strengthen News Corp's financial news offerings and provide added value to readers and investors.

When was the acquisition of Investor's Business Daily by News Corp completed?

The acquisition was officially completed today, as announced by News Corp.

What impact will the acquisition of IBD have on News Corp's business?

The acquisition is expected to enhance Dow Jones's ability to connect with professional and retail investors, potentially increasing revenues from IBD's digital products.

How many employees does Investor's Business Daily have?

Investor's Business Daily employs approximately 130 people.

What is the significance of IBD's digital subscription base for News Corp?

IBD's digital subscription base of nearly 100,000 highlights its strong market position, which will contribute to News Corp's growth in digital media.