BOTTOM LINE
* Fairfax Media swung into the black in 2016/17 with an $83.9 million profit, bouncing back from the prior year's writedown-heavy $893.5 million loss.
* News Corp made a loss of $818 million ($US643 million) in 2016/17 largely due to huge writedowns against its Australian and UK newspaper assets and its investment in Foxtel, as well as a higher tax expense.
NEWSPAPERS
* Fairfax's newspaper division containing The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age achieved 26 per cent underlying earnings growth in a year when journalists staged a strike in response to more than 100 newsroom redundancies. Ad revenue continued to fall, dropping 17 per cent.
* Adjusted earnings from News Corp's news division dropped 14 per cent, although falls from newspapers including The Australian and The Wall Street Journal were partially offset by lower costs. Ad revenues declined seven per cent, reflecting overall weakness in print.
REAL ESTATE
* Domain has been Fairfax's biggest money spinner for years. It contributed more than 40 per cent of underlying earnings in 2016/17 and Fairfax will retain 60 per cent of it when it floats on the ASX in November.
* News Corp owns 61.6 per cent of ASX-listed REA Group. Real estate services accounted for more than 45 per cent of News Corp's 2016/17 earnings.
OTHER BUSINESSES
* Fairfax says streaming joint venture Stan has more than 800,000 active subscribers and a 150 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue. Chief executive Greg Hywood said Stan will reach cashflow breakeven in 2017/18 but Citi analysts value the service at just four cents per share.
* News Corp earnings from its 50 per cent stake in Foxtel and other television services declined one per cent in 2016/17, but book publishing earnings rose eight per cent.
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