Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Rupert Murdoch
Discover the career path of Rupert Murdoch, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Rupert Murdoch is an Australian-born American media mogul who built a global empire through News Corp. His holdings have included major publishing outlets in the UK, Australia, and the US, such as HarperCollins, Sky News Australia, and Fox News. He formerly owned Sky and 21st Century Fox. As one of the wealthiest individuals globally, with a net worth exceeding $20 billion, Murdoch's significant media influence has led to him being described as an oligarch. His vast reach has given him considerable sway over both media narratives and political discourse.
1923: News Limited Established
In 1923, News Limited, which would later be led by Rupert Murdoch, was established.
1952: Took Over The News
In 1952, after his father's death, Murdoch took over the running of The News, a small Adelaide newspaper owned by his father.
1956: Acquired Sunday Times in Perth
In 1956, Rupert Murdoch expanded his media holdings by acquiring the troubled Sunday Times in Perth, Western Australia.
1960: Acquired The Daily Mirror
In 1960, Murdoch acquired The Daily Mirror, a Sydney afternoon tabloid.
January 1964: Purchase of The Dominion
In January 1964, Murdoch launched a counter-bid and successfully acquired a controlling interest in the New Zealand daily The Dominion.
1968: Acquisition of News of the World
In 1968, Murdoch entered the British newspaper market with his acquisition of the News of the World.
1969: Expanded into the United Kingdom
In 1969, Murdoch expanded into the United Kingdom, taking over the News of the World, followed closely by The Sun.
1969: Purchase of The Sun
In 1969, Murdoch purchased The Sun and transformed it into a tabloid format.
1972: Acquired The Daily Telegraph
In 1972, Murdoch acquired the Sydney morning tabloid The Daily Telegraph from Sir Frank Packer.
1973: First US Acquisition
In 1973, Rupert Murdoch made his first acquisition in the United States with the purchase of the San Antonio Express-News.
1974: Moved to New York City
In 1974, Murdoch moved to New York City to expand into the US market, while still maintaining interests in Australia and the UK.
1976: Purchase of the New York Post
In 1976, Rupert Murdoch purchased the New York Post, expanding his media presence in the United States.
1980: Murdoch Credited with Reagan Victory
In 1980, Ronald Reagan's campaign team credited Rupert Murdoch and the New York Post for Reagan's victory in New York during the United States presidential election.
February 1981: Acquisition of The Times and The Sunday Times
In February 1981, Rupert Murdoch, already the owner of The Sun and News of the World, acquired The Times and The Sunday Times. Margaret Thatcher's government allowed the bid to proceed without referral to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
1981: Acquisition of The Times
In 1981, Murdoch acquired The Times and Sunday Times from Lord Thomson of Fleet.
March 1984: Acquisition of Interest in 20th Century Fox
In March 1984, Rupert Murdoch bought Marc Rich's interest in 20th Century Fox from Marvin Davis for $250 million.
September 1985: Murdoch Becomes US Citizen
On 4 September 1985, Rupert Murdoch became a naturalized US citizen to meet legal requirements for owning US television stations.
October 1986: Fox Broadcasting Company Founded
On 9 October 1986, the Fox Broadcasting Company was founded, with its nucleus formed by the six television stations previously owned by Metromedia.
December 1986: News Corporation increases stake in SCMP
In December 1986, Dow Jones & Company sold about 19% of its shares of SCMP to News Corporation for US$57.2 million.
1986: Consolidated UK Printing Operations
In 1986, Murdoch consolidated his UK printing operations in London to adopt newer electronic publishing technologies, which led to industrial disputes.
1986: Introduction of Electronic Production
In 1986, Murdoch introduced electronic production processes to his newspapers, leading to the Wapping dispute.
1986: Takeover Bid for The Herald and Weekly Times
In 1986, Murdoch launched a successful takeover bid for The Herald and Weekly Times after media ownership laws were relaxed.
1987: Creation of World Music Video Awards
In 1987, Rupert Murdoch created the World Music Video Awards, a global television special where winners were chosen by viewers in eight countries. He also bought The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd. in Australia.
1989: Acquired HarperCollins
In 1989, News Corporation, Murdoch's holding company, acquired HarperCollins.
1990: Formed BSkyB
In 1990, Murdoch formed the British broadcaster BSkyB.
1990: Merger of Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting
In 1990, Rupert Murdoch's Sky Television, heavily subsidized by his other holdings, convinced rival British Satellite Broadcasting to merge on his terms. The merged company, BSkyB, has since dominated the British pay-TV market through direct-to-home satellite broadcasting.
1992: The Sun and the 1992 General Election
In 1992, The Sun newspaper credited itself with contributing to John Major's unexpected victory in the general election.
1994: Blair becomes leader
In 1994, Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party, shifting it towards a more centrist position on many economic issues by 1997.
1995: Elisabeth Murdoch re-sold television stations for profit
In 1995, Elisabeth Murdoch quickly re-organized and re-sold the NBC-affiliate television stations in California for a $12 million profit.
1995: Scrutiny from FCC and Launch of The Weekly Standard
In 1995, Fox was under scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over News Ltd.'s Australian base, but the FCC ruled in Murdoch's favor. Also in 1995, Murdoch announced a deal with MCI Communications to develop a news website and magazine, The Weekly Standard.
1996: BSkyB Subscriber Growth
By 1996, BSkyB had exceeded 3.6 million subscribers, tripling the customer base of cable in the United Kingdom.
1996: Fox News Channel Launched
In 1996, Rupert Murdoch entered the cable news market with the launch of the Fox News Channel, a 24-hour cable news station.
1996: 20th Century Fox Buys Four Star Television Assets
In 1996, Rupert Murdoch's 20th Century Fox bought out the remaining assets of Four Star Television from Ronald Perelman's Compact Video.
1997: Labour economic shift
By 1997, the Labour Party, under Tony Blair's leadership since 1994, shifted to a more centrist position on many economic issues.
1997: Murdoch's papers support Labour
In the 1997 general election, Rupert Murdoch's papers were either neutral or supported Labour under Tony Blair.
1998: Attempt to Buy Manchester United F.C.
In 1998, Murdoch's attempt to buy Manchester United F.C. for £625 million was blocked by the UK Competition Commission.
1999: Expanded Music Holdings
In 1999, Murdoch expanded his music holdings by acquiring Mushroom Records and merging it with Festival Records to create Festival Mushroom Records (FMR).
2000: News Corporation's Extensive Holdings
By 2000, Murdoch's News Corporation owned over 800 companies in more than 50 countries, with a net worth exceeding $5 billion.
2001: Murdoch's papers support Labour
In the 2001 general election, Rupert Murdoch's papers were either neutral or supported Labour under Tony Blair.
November 2003: James Murdoch became Chief Executive of British Sky Broadcasting
In November 2003, James Murdoch became Chief Executive of the satellite television service British Sky Broadcasting.
2003: Acquisition of Hughes Electronics
In late 2003, Rupert Murdoch acquired a 34% stake in Hughes Electronics, the operator of DirecTV, from General Motors for $6 billion.
July 2005: Lachlan Murdoch resigned from News Corporation executive posts
At the end of July 2005, Lachlan Murdoch resigned from his executive posts at News Corporation.
September 2005: News Corporation to buy IGN Entertainment
On 11 September 2005, News Corporation announced that it would buy IGN Entertainment for $650 million (USD).
2005: Murdoch's papers support Labour
In the 2005 general election, Rupert Murdoch's papers were either neutral or supported Labour under Tony Blair.
June 2006: News Corporation Consider Backing David Cameron
In June 2006, the BBC reported that Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation were considering backing new Conservative leader David Cameron at the next General Election.
July 2006: Murdoch's Opinion of David Cameron
In July 2006, when asked about his opinion of the Conservative leader David Cameron, Rupert Murdoch replied "Not much".
May 2007: Murdoch Offers to Purchase Dow Jones
In May 2007, Rupert Murdoch offered $5 billion to purchase Dow Jones & Company, though the Bancroft family initially declined the offer. This acquisition would give Murdoch control over publications like The Wall Street Journal.
2007: Acquired The Wall Street Journal
In 2007, Murdoch's holding company, News Corporation, acquired The Wall Street Journal.
2007: News Corp dealt with John Malone
In 2007, News Corporation announced that it would sell certain assets and give cash to John Malone's company in exchange for its stock. Also in 2007, the company issued Murdoch's older children voting stock.
2009: Murdoch Wins Media Dispute with Berlusconi
In 2009, Rupert Murdoch won a media dispute with then Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. A judge ruled that Mediaset prevented News Corporation's Italian unit, Sky Italia, from buying advertisements on its television networks.
2009: Possible Murdoch support for Cameron
In 2009, it was suggested that Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation might have decided to back David Cameron, in the aftermath of the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
September 2010: Murdoch Testifies on Immigration
On September 5, 2010, Rupert Murdoch testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, advocating for ending mass deportations and endorsing a "comprehensive immigration reform" plan.
2010: News Corporation Donations and Murdoch's Board Membership
In 2010, News Corporation donated US$1 million to the Republican Governors Association and $1 million to the US Chamber of Commerce. Rupert Murdoch also served on the board of directors of the libertarian Cato Institute.
January 2011: Prudence MacLeod appointed to Times Newspapers Ltd board
On January 28, 2011, Prudence MacLeod, Rupert Murdoch's eldest child, was appointed to the board of Times Newspapers Ltd.
2011: Murdoch Advocates for Open Immigration Policies
In 2011, Rupert Murdoch advocated for more open immigration policies in western nations. He joined the Partnership for a New American Economy, supporting a path to legal status for illegal immigrants and increased legal immigration.
July 2012: Resigned as Director of News International
On 21 July 2012, Murdoch resigned as a director of News International.
June 2014: 21st Century Fox Bids for Time Warner
In June 2014, Murdoch's 21st Century Fox bid $85 per share for Time Warner, totaling $80 billion. The offer included the proposed sale of CNN to ease antitrust concerns.
August 2014: 21st Century Fox Withdraws Time Warner Bid
On August 5, 2014, 21st Century Fox announced it withdrew its offer for Time Warner. Instead, the company planned to spend $6 billion buying back its own shares over the next 12 months.
2015: Murdoch refused to kill Theranos story
In 2015, Elizabeth Holmes asked Rupert Murdoch to kill a story about Theranos, but Murdoch refused, trusting the Wall Street Journal's editors.
2015: Murdoch Steps Down as CEO of 21st Century Fox
In 2015, Rupert Murdoch stepped down from his role as CEO of 21st Century Fox, but retained ownership of the company.
June 2016: The Sun Supports Vote Leave
In June 2016, The Sun supported the Vote Leave campaign in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.
2016: Murdoch Acting CEO of Fox News
In 2016, Rupert Murdoch became acting CEO of Fox News following Roger Ailes' resignation due to accusations of sexual harassment, a position he held until 2019.
January 2018: CMA Blocks Murdoch's BSkyB Takeover
In January 2018, the CMA initially blocked Rupert Murdoch from acquiring the remaining 61% of BSkyB due to concerns about market dominance and potential media censorship, but later approved the bid conditioned on the sale of Sky News to Walt Disney Company. Eventually, Comcast gained control of BSkyB, and Murdoch sold his 39% stake to them.
2018: Ownership of Sky
In 2018, Rupert Murdoch ceased to be the owner of Sky.
2019: Disney Purchases 21st Century Fox
In 2019, Disney purchased 21st Century Fox, after which a number of television broadcasting assets were spun off into the Fox Corporation, which Murdoch continued to own.
2019: Ownership of 21st Century Fox
In 2019, Rupert Murdoch ceased to be the owner of 21st Century Fox.
January 2023: Murdoch Abandons News Corp and Fox Corporation Merger
In January 2023, Rupert Murdoch announced to the board that he had withdrawn the idea of merging News Corp and Fox Corporation, stating it was "not optimal for shareholders."
September 2023: Stepping Down as Chairman
In September 2023, Murdoch announced he would be stepping down as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp.
September 2023: Rupert Murdoch Retires and Hands Over Leadership to Lachlan
In September 2023, Rupert Murdoch retired and handed over the leadership of his businesses to his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch.
September 2023: Uncertainty of Murdoch as CEO
Until September 2023, it was not known how long Rupert Murdoch would remain as News Corporation's CEO.
