Wall Street Opines On Lachlan Murdoch As Rupert’s Successor Faces Business Headwinds, Uncertain Future
22.09.2023 - 14:50
/ deadline.com
Lachlan Murdoch has had a lot to prove and the stakes just got quite a bit higher as Murdoch senior is set to depart the Fox and News Corp. boards, formalizing a transition underway for years.
Lachlan will be sole chairman of both companies and succession, for years an open question, is firmly settled. But uncertainty still lurks. Rupert Murdoch holds 40% of Fox and News Corp. voting stock through a family trust, which, post-Rupert, will pass to Lachlan and his oldest siblings – James, Elisabeth and Prudence. If they wanted to, and it’s not clear they do, the three could out-vote Lachlan to sell Fox, restructure it, push him out. “I think that is a question mark,” said one analyst. “I have no idea how that is going to play out.”
Liberal-leaning James left the family business over editorial and political differences and there may be a rift. “Who knows which way Prudence or Elizabeth will go,” said another analyst. “They could put the company up for auction.”
That may be one reason Murdoch attempted unsuccessfully last year to merge News Corp. and Fox. The bigger the company, the tougher it is to sell.
A new book on the Murdochs by Michael Wolff out on Sept. 26 delves into the clan dynamics of the family, said to have inspired HBO’s Succession.
Meanwhile, Lachlan has a company to run. “I doubt he would be CEO if Rupert Murdoch wan’t his father,” said one analyst, stating the obvious. But, in his time at Fox, he’s delivered on live news and sports, the two most coveted landing spots in the media ecosystem now. He acquired Tubi, which is powering ahead, approaching $1 billion in revenue. He kept the company relatively debt free and nicely cash rich while bigger rivals piled up losses in streaming. And he didn’t spook