鲁珀特.默多克在他的新闻集团承认了他们在报纸广告刚刚恢复的元气又被那场割喉战给一笔抹杀之后，又在计算太阳报与每日镜报之间的这场数百万英镑的价格之战究竟又代价几何。
新闻集团宣布了它的受挫，在计算出它的几项强力投资的价值后，它全年的损失为41亿英镑。
它说，这场价格战，我们可以看到太阳报在许多地区的标价已经降到了10便士，使得在4月到6月之间出现的久盼才得的广告收入复原化为了乌有。
“英国的报业集团报告说按照当地货币计算，第四季度的营业收入与去年同期相比下降了5%。同太阳报发起的降价运动导致了它们的广告收入略高一点，尤其是太阳报和世界新闻，而发行收入就呈落势，”新闻集团说。太阳报的发行量同比增长了2.5%，但上个月的价格战就耗去了它700万英镑，每天有351万份报纸都只卖到10到20便士。
由于广告收入下降了12%，新闻国际英国分支的全年营运收入，也包括泰晤士报和泰晤士报周末版，跌落了9%。
在全球广告大环境的一片萎糜之下，整个新闻国际集团的营运收入，包括纽约邮报和澳大利亚的一些报纸，下降了12%到两亿八千万英镑。
数百万英镑的损失对媒体业来讲已经成了司空见惯的事情了，几乎所有的主要媒体公司都不得不重新评估那些由网络公司膨胀而引致的并购热潮中的昂贵交易。
新闻集团属下的天空卫视，在德国的收费电视网络中损失了超过10亿英镑，而它在Gemstar-TV Guide International，一个数字电视弹出式屏幕菜单制造公司，的42%的股份也在江河日下的股市上垂直降落，正是在这种情况下，新闻集团才公示了自己的赤字状况。
集团还计算了它在Stream上的投资，那是一个亏损的意大利收费电视台。
由于新闻集团属下的Fox业务发展走势强劲，到2002年6月，它的收入增长了10%到99亿英镑。Fox公司拥有自己的电影制片厂，电视网络和电视制作公司。
来源：MediaGuardian.co.uk,中华传媒网 编辑 卢世伟编译
Tabloid price war clouds Sun's gains
Dan Milmo
Wednesday August 14, 2002
Rupert Murdoch is counting the cost of the Sun's multi-million pound price war with the Daily Mirror after his News Corporation group admitted the cut-throat battle has wiped out the benefits of an advertising recovery at its newspaper unit.
News Corp announced the setback as it plunged into a full-year loss of ?4.1bn after writing down the value of several high-profile investments.
It said the price war, which has seen the Sun's cover price reduced to 10p in many regions, had cancelled out a long awaited recovery in advertising income in the three months between April and June.
"The UK newspaper group reported a 5% operating income decline in local currency terms for the fourth quarter compared to a year ago. Slightly higher advertising revenue, particularly at the Sun and the News of the World, was more than offset by circulation revenue declines due to the cover price reductions initiated at the Sun," said News Corp.
Circulation of the Sun has gone up 2.5% year-on-year, but the price war cost it almost ?7m last month, with 3.51 million papers selling at 10p or 20p every day.
Full-year operating income at the UK arm of News International, which also includes the Times and the Sunday Times, fell 9% due to a 12% decline in advertising revenue.