According to News Corp, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, the third quarter earnings dropped 52% because advertising sales continued to decrease and foreign currency fluctuations took a toll.

After not including some items, earnings per share amounted to 5 cents and it matched estimate of analysts. News Corp (NWS) is controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Shares increased 0.2% in after-hours trading to $15.95. Company-wide revenues dropped 1% to $2.06 billion.

Circulation and subscription revenues were down 6% because professional information revenue of Dow Jones decreased and print circulation dropped. The Book Publishing unit, chiefly HarperCollins posted $48 million in revenue and it is a 14% rise partly driven by the addition of Harlequin. In August, 2014, the book publisher was acquired by News Corp.

Revenue of the Cable Network Programming mounted 3% to $116 million. Digital Real Estate Services that involves Realtor. com and Moving. com was the fastest growing unit. The group owns The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times and the Wall Street Journal and also owns many Australian papers. News Corp was the world's third-largest media group in 2014 in terms of revenue.

"While we faced headwinds this quarter with particularly blustery forex conditions, News Corp is well set on its trajectory of digital and global growth", News Corp Chief Executive Robert Thomson said on a call with analysts.

Thomson emphasized a strong performance in its property listing business, Realtor. com. Realtor. com enjoyed record growth in audience and revenue. Thomson said that now News Corp is a global leader in digital real estate. According to Thomson, the new News Corp continues to build a firm foundation for digital growth.