Rupert Murdoch To Reportedly Rebuild Empire, Re-Combine Fox & News Corp

Nine years after Rupert Murdoch split up his holdings, The Wall Street Journal reports that, according to people familiar with the situation, the 91-year-old is exploring a recombination of Fox Corp. and News Corp.

WSJ reports that while discussions are at an early stage, special board committees have recently been established by both companies to study a possible deal and evaluate potential financial terms.

This move would bring Fox News and The Wall Street Journal back under the same roof once again.

Mr. Murdoch’s family trust has a roughly 39% voting stake in News Corp and about a 42% voting stake in Fox Corp., according to securities filings from the companies.

Mr. Murdoch is chair of Fox Corp and executive chairman of News Corp.

His son Lachlan Murdoch is co-chairman of News Corp and executive chair and chief executive of Fox.

Fox Corp. has a market capitalization of about $17 billion, while News Corp’s is about $9 billion and WSJ does note that it is possible a combination of the companies won’t occur.