The News Corp Chapter In Siobhán McKenna's Story
- 01. Siobhán McKenna and News Corp: what ties them together
- 02. Who Siobhán McKenna is
- 03. Key ties to News Corp operations
- 04. Reasons for her departure from News Corp
- 05. Broader leadership roles outside News Corp
- 06. Industry and financial context
- 07. Frequently asked questions
- 08. Illustrative role and timeline overview
- 09. Steps in McKenna's executive journey at News Corp
- 10. Industry-specific impact and legacy
Siobhán McKenna and News Corp: what ties them together
Siobhán McKenna is one of News Corp's most influential broadcast executives, having served as its Chief Executive of Broadcasting for News Corp Australia and held leadership roles across businesses such as Foxtel Group, Australian News Channel, and Fox Sports Australia. Her close working relationship with Lachlan Murdoch, global strategic oversight of the company's Australian pay-TV and streaming portfolio, and role in multibillion-dollar deals like the Foxtel sale to DAZN are the core ties that link her to News Corp.
Who Siobhán McKenna is
Siobhán McKenna is a senior Australian media executive with over two decades of experience in television, broadcasting, and corporate governance. She has held non-executive and executive board positions at major Australian companies including Woolworths Group, Ten Network Holdings, and NBN Co, giving her a reputation as a governance and transformation specialist in the consumer services sector.
At News Corp Australia, McKenna is best known for her executive leadership of the company's broadcast and subscription-TV assets, where she has shaped strategy for both traditional linear TV and streaming platforms such as Kayo Sports and Binge. Her work has coincided with a period of rapid consolidation in the Australian media landscape, where News Corp's pay-TV strategy has shifted from ownership to strategic partnerships and asset disposals.
Her role encompassed programming strategy, distribution deals, and commercial partnerships that underpinned billions of dollars in annual revenue across pay-TV and streaming. She was also described in internal communications and media coverage as one of Lachlan Murdoch's closest advisers, giving her a central voice in News Corp's broader Australian media strategy.
By 2025 she had spent more than eight years in senior News Corp leadership roles, during which time the company's Australian broadcasting revenue base evolved from a linear-TV-centric model to a hybrid of traditional pay-TV and on-demand streaming. Her tenure ended at the close of 2025, when she announced her departure from the company following the completion of the Foxtel sale to DAZN.
Key ties to News Corp operations
McKenna's primary substantive link to News Corp was her leadership of the Foxtel ecosystem, which includes the Foxtel pay-TV platform, Kayo Sports, Binge, and the Hubbl streaming and aggregation service. Under her oversight, Foxtel and its associated brands grew to serve several million subscribers across Australia, with combined annual revenues in the mid-single-digit billions of dollars before the DAZN transaction.
She also guided News Corp's stake in Australian News Channel, including the Sky News Australia business, which remains a politically influential news-broadcasting brand in Australia despite its modest audience share compared with major commercial networks. McKenna's role here helped align News Corp's print and digital news output with its 24-hour television news strategy, creating a more integrated news ecosystem.
Her strategy positioned Foxtel as an attractive asset for a global player like DAZN, which acquired the Foxtel Group in 2025 for a deal widely reported to value the business in the low-tens of billions of dollars. Global chief executive Robert Thomson described her departure as "epochal," underscoring that her broadcasting-strategy decisions directly shaped the transaction value and post-sale structure.
Reasons for her departure from News Corp
McKenna's exit from News Corp was announced in late October 2025, timed to coincide with the completion of the Foxtel sale to DAZN. With the sale finalised, her overarching role as Chief Executive of Broadcasting was effectively wound down, since News Corp's remaining involvement in Foxtel-related operations diminished after the divestment.
Company statements and media reports framed her departure as a "decision" rather than a forced exit, with Robert Thomson praising her as a "transformational force" during her years at News Corp. Analysts noted that her departure reflects a broader re-centralisation of News Corp's Australian media strategy under Lachlan Murdoch, especially as the company leans further into digital and streaming-adjacent opportunities beyond traditional pay-TV.
This advisory role amplifies her significance beyond a purely operational executive: she functioned as a key bridge between News Corp's board-level strategy and the day-to-day execution of Australian broadcasting and streaming businesses. Her departure therefore signals a notable shift in the inner circle advising Lachlan Murdoch, at a time when News Corp continues to compress its Australian asset footprint.
Broader leadership roles outside News Corp
Outside her News Corp positions, McKenna has held influential non-executive roles that intersect with the same media and consumer-services sectors. She previously sat on the boards of Woolworths Group, Ten Network Holdings, and PRT Co, gaining experience in retail, television, and technology-enabled services.
She also served as a Non-Executive Director at NBN Co, Australia's national broadband-network operator, and held a directorship at MediaWorks NZ, giving her exposure to both telecommunications infrastructure and New Zealand media markets. These roles bolster the perception of McKenna as a high-calibre board-level strategist who can navigate both regulated utilities and highly competitive media environments.
Reports indicate she may also remain connected to the Murdoch orbit through advisory work for Lachlan Murdoch's private investment vehicle, Illyria, which holds stakes in Australian media businesses such as Nova Entertainment. This suggests that, while her formal News Corp executive role has ended, her influence within the broader Murdoch-linked media ecosystem could persist in a less visible, board-level capacity.
Industry and financial context
McKenna's tenure at News Corp coincided with a challenging period for Australian media, where print advertising and subscription revenues have declined steadily over the past decade. News Corp Australia's own financial statements show that its print and digital Australian news divisions reported a net loss of around AU$27.4 million in the 2024-25 financial year, underscoring the pressure to diversify into higher-margin broadcast and streaming businesses.
Under her leadership, News Corp's Australian broadcasting and streaming operations grew to account for a material share of the group's Australian revenue, with combined pay-TV and streaming revenues estimated at roughly AU$5-6 billion annually in the years immediately preceding the Foxtel sale. This shift helped offset declines in print while positioning the company to capitalise on long-term growth in digital subscription models.
Internally, News Corp has indicated it will redistribute her broadcasting-portfolio responsibilities among existing senior managers, with some functions likely migrating to global headquarters in New York and others staying with Australian operations. For investors and analysts, her exit underscores that News Corp's Australian strategy is now more focused on digital news, streaming-adjacent content, and targeted entertainment partnerships than on operating large pay-TV platforms directly.
Frequently asked questions
Illustrative role and timeline overview
The table below summarises key aspects of Siobhán McKenna's involvement with News Corp and related entities, illustrating the breadth of her influence over the company's Australian broadcasting operations and governance structure.
| Role | Entity | Approximate tenure | Key responsibilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Director of Broadcasting | News Corp Australia | 2017-2018 | Initial oversight of broadcast strategy and portfolio integration |
| Chief Executive of Broadcasting | News Corp Australia | 2018-2025 | Overall leadership of Australian pay-TV and streaming operations |
| Executive Chairman | Australian News Channel (Sky News Australia) | Mid-2010s-2025 | Strategic direction of 24-hour news broadcaster |
| Executive Chairman | Fox Sports Australia | Mid-2010s-2025 | Sports-rights and programming strategy for pay-TV |
| Chairman | Foxtel Management Pty Ltd | Several years during 2010s-2020s | Board oversight of Foxtel Group structure and governance |
| Non-Executive Director / Chair | Australian Postal Corp (Australia Post) | From 2023 onward | Statutory-corporation governance and postal-services strategy |
Steps in McKenna's executive journey at News Corp
The following numbered list outlines the major stages in Siobhán McKenna's career progression within the News Corp orbit, highlighting how her responsibilities expanded over time and what each step contributed to the company's broadcasting strategy.
- Appointed Group Director of Broadcasting at News Corp Australia in March 2017, after leaving her non-executive director role at Ten Network Holdings.
- Expanded into senior executive leadership of the Foxtel ecosystem, overseeing the integration of Foxtel, Fox Sports, Australian News Channel, and later streaming platforms such as Kayo Sports and Binge.
- Instrumental in shaping the strategic rationale for the Foxtel sale to DAZN, including the structuring of the transaction and the positioning of the Foxtel Group as a premium sports and entertainment asset.
- Assumed the role of Chief Executive of Broadcasting for News Corp Australia, consolidating executive authority over the company's Australian broadcast and subscription-TV operations.
- Announced departure from News Corp at the end of 2025, closing an eight-year tenure that coincided with the company's pivot from large-scale pay-TV ownership toward streaming-adjacent and digital-focused models.
Industry-specific impact and legacy
McKenna's time at News
Helpful tips and tricks for The News Corp Chapter In Siobhan Mckennas Story
What role did Siobhán McKenna hold at News Corp?
Siobhán McKenna served as Chief Executive of Broadcasting for News Corp Australia, with executive responsibility for the company's Australian broadcasting operations, including its stake in the Foxtel Group. Within that umbrella she also held titles such as Executive Chairman at Australian News Channel (which operates Sky News Australia) and Fox Sports Australia, and served as Chairman at Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.
How long has she been at News Corp?
McKenna joined News Corp Australia in March 2017 as Group Director of Broadcasting, after stepping down as a non-executive director at Ten Network Holdings. She later moved into the broader Chief Executive of Broadcasting role, overseeing the integration of News Corp's Australian broadcast and subscription-TV interests as the company restructured its portfolio.
What was her impact on Foxtel and streaming?
During McKenna's time as Chief Executive of Broadcasting, News Corp's Foxtel Group sharpened its focus on sports and on-demand entertainment, signaling a move away from broad linear-TV volume toward higher-margin subscription models. Platforms such as Kayo Sports and Binge grew their subscriber bases at double-digit annual rates between 2018 and 2024, with Kayo reportedly crossing around 1.5 million subscribers by 2024.
Was she connected to Murdoch family strategy?
Multiple outlets have described McKenna as one of Lachlan Murdoch's closest advisers, not only on broadcast strategy but also on broader succession and governance issues affecting the Murdoch family's media empire. She was reportedly involved in internal deliberations over the Murdoch family trust and succession planning, although specific details have not been disclosed publicly.
What is she doing after News Corp?
Following her departure from News Corp at the end of 2025, McKenna is expected to focus on a mix of governance, advisory, and potentially private-equity-linked media activities. She continues to serve as Non-Executive Chairman at Australian Postal Corp (Australia Post), a role that places her at the helm of a major Australian statutory corporation with a complex regulatory and customer-service mandate.
What does her role mean for News Corp's future?
Experts interpret McKenna's departure as a signal that News Corp Australia is consolidating its leadership structure around fewer core executives closer to Lachlan Murdoch, particularly as the company exits large-scale pay-TV ownership. Her absence from the executive team may also reduce the number of senior women in top broadcasting roles at News Corp, at a time when industry groups have been calling for greater gender diversity in media leadership pipelines.
Is Siobhán McKenna still working for News Corp?
As of the end of 2025, Siobhán McKenna has stepped down from her role as Chief Executive of Broadcasting at News Corp and is no longer serving in any executive capacity within the company. Her departure followed the completion of the Foxtel sale to DAZN, which significantly reduced News Corp's operational footprint in Australian pay-TV and streaming.
What positions did she hold across News Corp and Foxtel?
Within News Corp, McKenna held the title of Chief Executive of Broadcasting for News Corp Australia and served as Executive Chairman or Chairman at several key entities including Australian News Channel (Sky News Australia), Fox Sports Australia, and Foxtel Management Pty Ltd. She also had board and leadership roles across the Foxtel Group ecosystem, overseeing strategy for the Foxtel pay-TV platform, Kayo Sports, Binge, and Hubbl.
What is the connection between Siobhán McKenna and Lachlan Murdoch?
McKenna is widely regarded as one of Lachlan Murdoch's closest advisers, particularly on Australian broadcasting strategy and broader succession and governance matters affecting the Murdoch family's media interests. Their long-standing working relationship gave her unusual influence over News Corp's Australian media portfolio, including decisions on major transactions such as the Foxtel sale to DAZN.
Why did Siobhán McKenna leave News Corp?
McKenna's departure was announced in late October 2025, shortly after News Corp completed the sale of the Foxtel Group to DAZN, which reduced the scope of her executive role. Company statements described it as her own decision and Robert Thomson characterised her exit as "epochal," highlighting her impact on the company's transformation during a period of significant industry change.
What is her background before News Corp?
Prior to joining News Corp, McKenna built a reputation as a non-executive director across major Australian companies including Woolworths Group, Ten Network Holdings, PRT Co, AMCIL, and MediaWorks NZ. She also served on the board of NBN Co, Australia's national broadband operator, giving her experience in both consumer-facing media and critical infrastructure sectors.