Murdoch Bid for Sky Control Hits New Bump as U.K. Official Hints at Inquiry
In June, the Office of Communications, or Ofcom, ruled
that Mr. Murdoch, the executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, and other company executives were “fit and proper” to hold broadcasting licenses in Britain, even as it concluded that a sexual harassment scandal at Fox News had amounted to “significant corporate failures.”
In August, the British culture ministry said it had written to Ofcom, seeking clarification
on its earlier review of whether the company would meet British broadcasting standards.
In an address to Parliament, the minister, Karen Bradley, said she was “minded” to refer the $15 billion deal to the Competition
and Markets Authority for a more intensive inquiry into concerns about whether Fox would uphold broadcast standards in Britain and whether owning all of Sky would give it too much control of the British media.
LONDON — Britain’s culture minister said on Tuesday
that she was inclined to ask the country’s competition regulator to carry out a detailed review of a bid by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox to take full control of the British satellite television giant Sky.
The British competition authority offered its initial view on the transaction in June, saying the merged company would
control a significant chunk of Britain’s media landscape, including television, newspaper and online outlets
An acquisition of Sky would give 21st Century Fox control of a Pan-European satellite network
and rights to additional content, including broadcasts of English Premier League and other soccer leagues in parts of Europe.