Rupert Murdoch’s £11.7bn takeover bid for Sky is to be investigated by the media regulator to see if it gives him too much control of news output in the UK and whether the Murdoch family are “fit and proper” owners following the phone-hacking scandal. Ofcom will look at whether Fox’s takeover will raise issues of UK media plurality and concentration in Murdoch’s control. Miliband, the former Labour leader, said Ofcom’s “fit and proper” review conducted during Murdoch’s last aborted bid for full control of Sky in 2010 took many months. At the time of the last bid, the Murdochs agreed a deal to spin off Sky News to allay media plurality concerns. Nick Pollard, an Ofcom board member and former Sky News chief, has excused himself from the Fox investigation process.

Source: The Guardian March 16, 2017 11:35 UTC