Rupert Murdoch has suggested News Corp Australia's former chief executive Kim Williams may have been behind a leak of the company's secret financial records.

In August, News Corp threatened legal action against media outlets that published figures showing The Australian newspaper lost $27 million dollars last financial year.

The matter was raised at News Corp's annual general meeting in Los Angeles overnight.

Shareholder activist Stephen Mayne asked Mr Murdoch whether there was truth to Mr Williams's claim that he was sacked because he launched the book of then Labor treasurer Chris Bowen last year.

"I can tell you that is nonsense," Mr Murdoch said.

"I don't want to be unfair to Kim, but if you see those figures that he, or somebody, leaked to you on the performance of the company during the previous financial year in Australia, I think that tells you everything."

Rupert Murdoch was referring to leaked financial records from News Corp published earlier this year in Crikey, the online publication that Stephen Mayne used to own.

The records reportedly showed losses across the company's metropolitan newspapers.

Kim Williams has not returned phone calls from the ABC to get his response to the latest accusation.

However, in August, he spoke with ABC TV's The Business and rejected suggestions that he was the source of the leak.

"To point a finger at me a year and two weeks or so after I left the company I really do find a new low," he said at the time.

Speaking with The World Today in August, he also brushed aside suggestions that he was responsible for the poor performance.

"Every single print journalism organisation in the world has declining revenues and declining margins," he said.

"That's not something of my invention."

News Corp looking at 'small piece' of Ten

However, News Corp says it is turning things around.

Quarterly earnings figures released last week showed the company's global newspaper revenue is growing.

News Corp even appears to be eyeing new acquisitions.

Rupert Murdoch was asked at the AGM whether he could confirm rumours that Foxtel is considering buying a stake in Network Ten.

News Corp owns half of Foxtel - Telstra owns the other half - and there have been suggestions that it could team up with the US company Discovery Communications to buy into Ten.

"They are examining a small piece," he responded.

"All I can say is the independent directors here are hiring independent advisors."

Ten's share price has soared in the week since rumours about a takeover began, but it is trading mostly flat today.