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| News Corporation |
N E W S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release | Contact: | Media: Andrew Butcher 212-852-7070 | ||||||||
| Investors: Reed Nolte 212 852 7092 |
News Corporation Completes Internal Restructuring Transactions; Receives IRS Ruling
NEW YORK, NY, March 14, 2005 –News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) announced today that it has received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) relating to its previously announced internal restructuring transactions and has completed those transactions.
The completion of the internal restructuring transactions and the receipt of the IRS private letter ruling are both conditions to the completion of News Corporation’s previously announced exchange offer for Fox Entertainment Group, Inc.’s Class A common stock (NYSE: FOX) that News Corporation does not already own.
The exchange offer remains subject to other conditions, including the condition that there must be validly tendered a majority of the outstanding shares of Fox Class A common stock not beneficially owned by News Corporation or its affiliates, directors and executive officers or the directors and executive officers of Fox, and is currently scheduled to expire at 12:00 Midnight, New York City time, on March 18, 2005, unless extended.
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WHERE TO FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In connection with the offer by Fox Acquisition Corp (a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation) of shares of News Corporation Class A common stock in exchange for shares of Fox Class A common stock (the “Exchange Offer”), News Corporation has filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 containing a prospectus relating to the Exchange Offer and a Schedule TO. FOX STOCKHOLDERS AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS (AND ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE) BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT NEWS CORPORATION, FOX, FOX ACQUISITION CORP AND THE EXCHANGE OFFER. Materials filed with the SEC will be available electronically without charge at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Documents filed with the SEC may be obtained without charge at News Corporation’s website, www.newscorp.com, or by directing a request to News Corporation’s investor relations department at News Corporation, Investor Relations, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036.
In addition, Fox stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by directing a written or oral request to the information agent for the Exchange Offer, Georgeson Shareholder Communications, Inc., collect at (212) 440-9800 or toll-free at (866) 873-6991.
News Corporation had total assets as of December 31, 2004 of approximately US$53 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$22 billion. News Corporation is a diversified international media and entertainment company with operations in eight industry segments: filmed entertainment; television; cable network programming; direct broadcast satellite television; magazines and inserts; newspapers; book publishing; and other. The activities of
News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Basin.
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of an appropriate prospectus.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including financial community and rating agency perceptions of the company and its business, operations, financial condition and the industry in which it operates and the factors described in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained therein. The company disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein.