LONDON — Britain’s culture secretary said on Monday that he was unlikely to block the American cable giant Comcast’s proposed takeover of the British satellite broadcaster Sky, the latest twist in a merger battle between Comcast and Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. In a statement, the culture secretary, Matt Hancock, said he was not inclined to intervene in Comcast’s $30.7 billion bid for Sky because “the proposed merger does not raise concerns in relation to public interest considerations which would meet the threshold for intervention.”Mr. Hancock’s remarks came amid a protracted effort by Fox to win full control of Sky, a company in which Mr. Murdoch’s company already holds a 39 percent stake. Fox submitted its current bid for Sky in December 2016, but the company has faced a series of regulatory roadblocks since then. Mr. Hancock is still considering that bid and is expected to make a final decision about it by sometime in June. Comcast said in a statement that it welcomed Mr. Hancock’s position and remained “focused on progressing our superior offer for Sky.”

Source: New York Times May 21, 2018 13:54 UTC