Was it such a good idea for The Times to quit the property portal sector?

We ask because Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has seen a 15% slide in earnings as advertisers continue to desert newspapers.

However, earnings for the three months to September 30 would have slipped further had it not been for the REA group – Australia’s answer to Rightmove.

In August, REA announced operating profits up 27%.

News Corp’s titles include papers in Australia, the Wall Street Journal, and The Sun and The Times.

REA and News Corp jointly owned PropertyFinder, which they bought in 2005 and sold just four years later.

It was bought by a certain Alex Chesterman of Zoopla in 2009.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Rupert (who we feel obliged to mention is in a relationship with Jerry Hall) – are you kicking yourself?