News Corporation reported a marginal decrease in digital subscriptions across its Australian publishing division during the latest financial year, reversing momentum from recent periods despite the broader media company posting strong overall results.
The subscription count for News Corp's Australian operations, which encompasses major mastheads including The Australian, Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, dropped to 1.162 million from 1.166 million, according to financial disclosures released Thursday.
The decline comes as News Corp leadership has intensified criticism of artificial intelligence companies, with Chief Executive Robert Thomson characterizing AI firms as engaging in unauthorized use of published content. Thomson has labeled such practices as unethical, comparing companies to those trafficking in stolen intellectual property.
News Corp, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, continues to grapple with the challenge of sustaining digital subscription growth in Australia's competitive media landscape while confronting broader industry concerns about how AI systems train on journalistic material without compensation or permission from publishers.
Reporting based on Guardian World.
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