James Murdoch has agreed to buy a major stake in Vox Media, marking a major expansion of his US media presence for the youngest son of Australian tycoon Rupert Murdoch.
Under the agreement announced this Wednesday, Lupa Systems, Murdoch’s media and technology holding, will acquire Vox’s podcast network and the magazine New Yorka publication that once belonged to the patriarch of the Murdoch family. Other Vox Media assets, such as the technology website The Verge and the lifestyle magazine Popsugarwere left out of the business.
Financial terms were not disclosed. THE Bloomberg previously reported that Murdoch offered $300 million for the assets, which include popular shows like Pivotwith Kara Swisher, and culture sites like The Cut e Intelligencer.
Study abroad
Upgrade your career!
“This acquisition fits well with our current holdings and investments and reflects both our interest in the cutting edge of culture and our strong commitment to ambitious journalism and agenda-setting conversations,” Murdoch said in the statement. “It will allow us to apply new tools to the businesses we are building, adding substantial production, distribution and publishing capacity to our group.”
The deal is the first major transaction since Murdoch sold the last of his stake in the family’s News Corp interest. and Fox last year as part of a $3.3 billion settlement with his father and brothers to end a bitter succession dispute. Lupa Systems, founded by Murdoch in 2019, has already made a series of investments in media and businesses linked to pop culture, including a streaming service in India and the controller of the Art Basel fairs. Earlier this year, Murdoch revealed plans to launch a new ideas fair in Switzerland.
Murdoch, 53, has clashed at times with his father and older brother, Lachlan, over the management and editorial line of the family’s media empire, which includes the Wall Street Journala Fox News e o New York Post.
Continues after advertising
In 2000, Murdoch left the board of News Corp., citing “disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions.” He and his wife, Kathryn, have already criticized the way in which the family’s newspapers treat the climate issue.
In an interview with New York Times published this Wednesday, Murdoch said that the fact that his father had previously owned the New York had no special weight in the decision. According to him, his interest is in “thoughtful journalism” and “building a great business.”
Vox’s podcast network, home to shows like Criminal e Where Should We Begin?with Esther Perel, is today the fastest growing segment within Vox Media and will immediately place Lupa among the main players in the podcast market, according to the company.
The new Vox Media will be led by co-founder Jim Bankoff, who has led the company since its early days, when it was a network of a dozen independent sports blogs.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
