News Corp subscriptions fall in Australia as company takes aim at ‘slimy’ AI slop

News Corp has reported a slight slide in digital subscriptions at its Australian mastheads, erasing recent gains, among otherwise robust financials at the Rupert Murdoch-backed global conglomerate.

Digital subscribers at News Corp Australia – a division that includes the Australian, the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, among others – fell from 1,166,000 to 1,162,000 during the financial year, according to the company’s internal data published in its full year results on Thursday morning.

The figures represent a reversal in momentum. The Australian division has grown digital subscriptions in recent years, as it transitions away from its traditional newspaper base.

News Corp’s broader news media unit, which includes the Sun and the Times in London and the New York Post, recorded mixed results, with advertising revenue still under pressure, falling 2% during the year to 30 June.

The news media division also recorded costs linked to the launch of News Corp’s latest newspaper, the California Post, which is the Los Angeles outpost of the New York Post and edited by Australian News Corp veteran Nick Papps.

The News Corp chief executive, Robert Thomson, used the release of the company’s financial results to hit out at AI models that “pilfer and profit from our work”, as media companies around the world seek compensation for the use of their content.

“Without our journalists, our authors, our data, our brands and our professional expertise, users would be drowning in a slimy sea of AI slop,” Thomson said.

“We will pursue those pilferers and companies that are clients of these crass kleptomaniacs should know they are patently in possession of stolen goods.”

News Corp has commercial agreements in place with OpenAI and Meta.

The comments come amid contested plans by the Albanese government to expand its news bargaining incentive, which would require tech giants to compensate media outlets for the news on their platforms, either through making commercial deals or paying a higher levy.