Lead
Rupert Murdoch, 94, has positioned his eldest son Lachlan, 54, to lead the family s media conglomerates, consolidating control over Fox Corp. and News Corp. The move in September 2025 capped a years long succession struggle with his brother James, 52, and reshaped leadership across outlets including Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Financial and legal pressures, as well as corporate deals engineered by the elder Murdoch, played a direct role in resolving who will run the companies going forward. The result hands Lachlan operational authority while leaving several legal and reputational challenges on the table.
Key Takeaways
- Rupert Murdoch, age 94, announced a plan that effectively anoints Lachlan Murdoch, 54, as the principal leader of the family s media holdings in September 2025.
- Lachlan succeeds to authority over Fox Corp. and News Corp., brands that include Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
- Fox Corp. reported $16.3 billion in revenue for the most recent fiscal year, a 17% increase year over year.
- News Corp. posted $8.45 billion in revenue for the same period, a small gain versus prior results amid industry headwinds.
- Fox settled a high profile defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in 2023; a separate Smartmatic case remains pending.
- The Murdoch family faced more than $1.5 billion in settlements tied to U.K. tabloid phone hacking and related litigation.
- Observers note Lachlan s managerial style differs from his father s and that he has signaled a center right editorial posture for Fox to match audience demographics.
Background
Lachlan Keith Murdoch was born on , in London and grew up largely in New York after his family relocated while Rupert Murdoch expanded his U.S. media holdings. He received private schooling in Manhattan, Massachusetts and Colorado and graduated from Princeton University before joining News Corp. in 1994. Early in his career he rose to deputy chief operating officer but left the U.S. in 2005 to live in Australia, a period widely described as a voluntary retreat from corporate infighting.
The Murdoch succession has been shaped by decades of expansion, divestitures and high profile scandals. In the late 2000s tabloid phone hacking in the U.K. produced legal exposures and settlements exceeding $1.5 billion and prompted a split of the family s publishing and television assets. A 2017 asset transaction that sold much of the companies Hollywood studio portfolio to The Walt Disney Co. further altered the family s corporate map and created the modern Fox Corp. and News Corp. split.
The personal dynamic among Rupert s children has informed boardroom outcomes. James Murdoch s role was weakened after the phone hacking scandal and he ultimately exited key posts, while Lachlan maintained ties to the operating businesses and later returned from Australia to assume expanded responsibilities. Those family tensions and public litigation attracted sustained scrutiny and inspired cultural portrayals of multi generational media dynasties.
Main Event
The recent handoff was the culmination of deliberate transactions and governance moves designed by Rupert Murdoch to give Lachlan operational primacy. Corporate adjustments included shifts in board composition, share allocations and executive appointments that reduced competing claims and concentrated control in Lachlan s hands. The announcement was reported in September 2025 and treated as the definitive resolution of a succession dispute that lasted years.
In practice the change formalizes a leadership arrangement in which Lachlan oversees day to day direction at Fox Corp. and holds a central role at News Corp., while other family members retain equity stakes and board representation. Company statements described the steps as part of orderly succession planning, while analysts noted the elder Murdoch s active role in structuring transactions and legal settlements that cleared obstacles to a tidy transfer of authority.
The shift occurs while Fox and News Corp. continue to face litigation and reputational risks. Fox s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion in 2023 resolved one major case, but other lawsuits, including the Smartmatic suit, remain unresolved. Meanwhile the businesses reported revenue gains that have strengthened their financial footing as leadership changes were finalized.
Analysis & Implications
The succession will likely solidify editorial continuity at several right leaning outlets while testing how a new generation handles regulatory, legal and commercial pressures. Lachlan has signaled a pragmatic approach, describing the outlets as center right to align with audience preferences, which suggests content strategies designed to retain viewers rather than pivot dramatically in tone. That editorial continuity could preserve advertising and subscription revenue that underwrite the businesses amid wider industry disruption.
From a governance perspective, the dealmaking engineered by Rupert reduces the probability of open family battles that can destabilize publicly traded media assets. Concentrated control under Lachlan can speed decision making but also concentrates accountability for future missteps. Investors will watch how the company balances aggressive audience retention with risk management after expensive litigation outcomes.
Politically, Lachlan s stewardship may be less hands on in direct partisan kingmaking than his father s was described, according to biographers and longtime observers. Still, the outlets under his oversight remain influential in shaping political narratives, especially among center right audiences. The extent to which Lachlan exerts personal influence beyond corporate strategy will shape perceptions of the Murdoch empire s role in U.S. and international politics.
Comparison & Data
| Entity | Most recent fiscal revenue | Notable legal or settlement items |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Corp. | $16.3 billion (17% year over year) | Dominion settlement $787.5 million (2023) |
| News Corp. | $8.45 billion (slight gain vs prior year) | Ongoing legacy liabilities from U.K. tabloid litigation, settlements > $1.5 billion |
Those figures illustrate why the succession matters economically as well as symbolically. Fox s revenue growth of 17 percent provides capital to defend litigation and invest in programming, while News Corp s modest gains show relative resilience in print publishing. Legal payouts remain material to balance sheets and public perception, and any future settlements or verdicts could affect strategy under new leadership.
Reactions & Quotes
Industry figures, biographers and commentators offered measured assessments of Lachlan s style and the implications of the leadership change.
He s a very different media proprietor than his father.
Paddy Manning, biographer
Manning s comment underscores a recurring theme in profiles of Lachlan that he is less inclined toward high profile political kingmaking than Rupert was. Observers note his record includes a period living in Australia, an affinity for low profile private pursuits earlier in life, and public statements that emphasize market alignment over partisan positioning.
We re going to stick to the center right. We think that s where our audience is.
Lachlan Murdoch, speech at Morgan Stanley event, 2021
That 2021 remark frames the editorial stance Lachlan has publicly endorsed, suggesting a strategic decision to court a center right audience rather than shift sharply. Analysts interpret that posture as an attempt to preserve core viewers while maintaining commercial stability across television and digital platforms.
Unconfirmed
- Specific private negotiations and personal side agreements among family members have not been publicly disclosed and remain unverified.
- The degree to which Lachlan will directly intervene in day to day editorial decisions at individual outlets is not fully documented and may vary by division.
- Any undisclosed financial arrangements made by Rupert to secure the succession have not been publicly detailed beyond regulatory filings and company announcements.
Bottom Line
The succession of Lachlan Murdoch formalizes leadership for one of the world s most consequential media families and reduces the public spectacle of a protracted family fight. Economically, both Fox Corp. and News Corp. entered the transition with stronger revenue lines than in recent years, giving the incoming leader resources to address legal risks and invest in content and distribution.
Politically and culturally, the change may preserve existing editorial currents while testing how a new generation manages the intersection of commerce, journalism and influence. For observers, the key metrics to watch are litigation outcomes, audience retention across platforms, and any shifts in corporate governance that alter how decisions are made going forward.
Sources
- NPR (media report summarizing the succession and background)
- Fox Corporation (official company site and investor relations)
- News Corp (official company site and disclosures)