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History of Fox News ownership changes
Executive summary
Fox News is owned by Fox Corporation, the public company formed after Disney bought much of 21st Century Fox in 2019; the Murdoch family retains decisive control through voting shares and a family trust, and leadership has shifted from Rupert to Lachlan Murdoch in recent years [1] [2] [3]. Reporting since 2023 documents succession moves, legal disputes over the Murdoch family trust, and incremental business transactions by Fox Corp through 2025; some outlets report further consolidation moves for Lachlan in 2025 that are still developing in coverage [3] [4] [5].
1. The 2019 spinoff that created “New Fox” and left Fox News inside Fox Corporation
In March 2019, most entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox were sold to Disney, and the remaining broadcast and cable assets—including Fox News Channel, Fox Business, the Fox broadcast network and certain sports properties—were organized as a stand-alone, publicly traded Fox Corporation (often called “New Fox”) that began trading under FOXA/FOX symbols [1] [6]. That corporate reorganization is the structural moment that made Fox News a business unit within Fox Corporation rather than part of the old 21st Century Fox conglomerate [1] [6].
2. Who holds control: the Murdoch family trust and board-level leadership
Although Fox Corporation is a public company, the Murdoch family maintains outsized voting influence via family stock and a trust structure; multiple summaries and corporate profiles emphasize the Murdochs’ dominant governance role and Lachlan Murdoch’s operational control after Rupert’s transition to a reduced role [2] [7] [3]. Rupert Murdoch announced a transition to Chairman Emeritus in 2023 with Lachlan named sole chairman of both Fox Corporation and News Corp, a transfer the company framed as an orderly succession [3].
3. Succession disputes and legal fights over the family trust (reported through 2024–2025)
Coverage documents that attempts by Rupert Murdoch to adjust the family trust’s terms prompted internal disputes and court scrutiny—an episode reported by summaries of Nevada probate actions and later reporting that legal challenges surfaced as the family renegotiated holdings and governance [4] [8]. Available sources describe a contested 2024 Nevada decision about trust changes and note subsequent family deals and reported negotiations in 2025; those items signal active contention but are reported differently across outlets [4] [8].
4. Leadership continuity at Fox News Media and executive management
Trade and aggregation pieces in 2025 note operational continuity at Fox News Media, with Suzanne Scott identified in some reporting as Fox News Media’s CEO overseeing both Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network as of mid‑2025 [9]. Corporate press pages and board listings also show management and director appointments through 2023–2025, underscoring a board-led governance model even as the Murdoch family trust exerts voting influence [10] [9].
5. Reported ownership changes or deals after the 2019 spinoff—what the coverage says (and does not say)
Sources here report incremental strategic acquisitions and investments by Fox Corporation (for example, podcast firms, streaming launches and regional stakes reported in 2024–2025), but they do not show a sale of Fox News to an outside buyer; rather they reflect business expansion and rearrangements within Fox Corp [4] [9]. Major headlines about Lachlan “cementing control” via family deals appear in some 2025 reporting, describing a $3.3 billion family transaction and shifts in how trust shares are held; these reports indicate consolidation of Murdoch family control rather than an external ownership transfer [5] [8].
6. Competing perspectives and editorial stances in the record
Different outlets frame Murdoch influence and Fox’s role in politics through divergent lenses: corporate and financial coverage emphasizes governance, succession and business strategy [1] [6] [10], while advocacy or critical media watchers stress political influence, fundraising and editorial consequences of family control [11]. Readers should note those agendas: corporate sources focus on structure and transactions, watchdog or advocacy sources frame ownership as concentrated media power with normative critiques [6] [11].
7. Limitations, outstanding questions, and what reporting does not confirm
Available sources do not provide a single, definitive timeline of every ownership transaction inside the Murdoch family trust, nor do they confirm a full change-of-ownership sale of Fox News to any outside party through 2025—coverage instead describes internal family deals, trust disputes, and corporate acquisitions by Fox Corporation [4] [8] [9]. If you’re seeking legally certified ownership filings, annual proxy statements and SEC filings from Fox Corporation would give granular share‑and‑voting numbers; those primary documents are not included in the current source set (not found in current reporting).
If you want, I can synthesize a chronology focused strictly on titles and dates (e.g., 2019 Disney sale/spinoff, 2023 Rupert → Lachlan transition, 2024–25 trust litigation and family deal reports) with inline citations to the same sources.