UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

October 23, 2013

DATE OF REPORT

(DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED)

 

 

 

NEWS CORPORATION

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

 

 

 

Delaware		001-35769		46-2950970
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION)		(COMMISSION FILE NO.)		(IRS EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.)

1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036

(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES, INCLUDING ZIP CODE)

(212) 416-3400

(REGISTRANT’S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

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Item 1.01

Entry into a Definitive Material Agreement.

On October 23, 2013, News Corporation (the “Company”) entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) among the Company, as borrower, the lenders from time to time party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Citibank, N.A., as co-administrative agents, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as designated agent for the lenders, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as syndication agent, and the other parties thereto.

The Credit Agreement provides for an unsecured $650,000,000 five-year revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) to the Company for general corporate purposes. The Facility has a sublimit of $100,000,000 available for issuances of letters of credit. Under the Credit Agreement, the Company may request increases in the amount of the Facility up to a maximum amount of $900,000,000. Subject to certain conditions stated in the Credit Agreement, the Company may borrow, prepay and reborrow amounts under the Facility during the term of the Credit Agreement. All amounts under the Credit Agreement are due on October 23, 2018, unless the commitments are terminated earlier either at the request of the Company or, if an event of default occurs, by the designated agent at the request or with the consent of the lenders (or automatically in the case of certain bankruptcy-related events). The Company may request that the commitments be extended under certain circumstances as set forth in the Credit Agreement for up to two additional one-year periods. Additionally, interest on borrowings is based on either (a) a Eurodollar Rate formula or (b) the Base Rate formula, each as set forth in the Credit Agreement.

The Credit Agreement contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default with customary exceptions, including limitations on the ability of the Company and the Company’s subsidiaries to engage in transactions with affiliates, incur liens, merge into or consolidate with any other entity, incur subsidiary debt or dispose of all or substantially all of its assets or all or substantially all of the stock of its subsidiaries taken as a whole. In addition, the Credit Agreement requires the Company to maintain an adjusted operating income leverage ratio of not more than 3.0 to 1.0 and an interest coverage ratio of not less than 3.0 to 1.0. If any of the events of default occur and are not cured within applicable grace periods or waived, any unpaid amounts under the Credit Agreement may be declared immediately due and payable.

At this time, the Company has not borrowed any funds under the Credit Agreement.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., and Commonwealth Bank of Australia acted as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners in respect of the Credit Agreement, Commonwealth Bank of Australia is syndication agent under the Credit Agreement, and the lenders include JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Citibank, N.A., Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of America, N.A., Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Lloyds Bank plc, National Australia Bank Limited and Westpac Banking Corporation.

In the ordinary course of their respective businesses, one or more of the lenders, or their affiliates, have or may have various relationships with the Company and the Company’s subsidiaries involving the provision of a variety of financial services, including cash management, commercial banking, investment banking, advisory or other financial services, for which they received, or will receive, customary fees and expenses. In addition, the Company and the Company’s subsidiaries may have entered into or may enter into in the future certain engagements with one or more lenders or their affiliates relating to specific endeavors.

The foregoing description of the Credit Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Credit Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and incorporated herein by reference.

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Item 2.03

Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information included in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) The following exhibit is being filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Exhibit No.		Description
10.1		Credit Agreement, dated as of October 23, 2013, among News Corporation, as borrower, the lenders named therein, the initial issuing banks named therein, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Citibank, N.A. as co-administrative agents, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as designated agent, Commonwealth Bank of Australia as syndication agent and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Commonwealth Bank of Australia as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Dated: October 29, 2013

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Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.		Description
10.1		Credit Agreement, dated as of October 23, 2013, among News Corporation, as borrower, the lenders named therein, the initial issuing banks named therein, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Citibank, N.A. as co-administrative agents, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as designated agent, Commonwealth Bank of Australia as syndication agent and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Commonwealth Bank of Australia as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners.