View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Publishers
  2. Broadcast Journalism
February 20, 2018updated 21 Feb 2018 8:35am

Rupert Murdoch pledges to maintain Sky News service for ‘at least 10 years’ in revised remedies to UK competition watchdog

By Freddy Mayhew

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has upped his pledge to maintain a Sky-branded news service from five years to “at least ten years” in revised submissions to the UK’s competition watchdog.

The pledge is a bid to smooth over concerns that Murdoch’s £12bn proposed takeover of Sky, for the 61 per cent he doesn’t already own, is not in the public interest on media plurality grounds.

That was the outcome of a provisional ruling by the Competition and Markets Authority, which has been reviewing the deal, last month.

The CMA expressed concerns that the merger would lead to Murdoch Family Trust, which controls Fox and News Corp (ultimate owners of the Sun and Times newspapers), having “too much control over news providers in the UK across all media platforms and therefore too much influence over public opinion and the political agenda”.

In a list of remedies to the CMA sent in response to the ruling, Murdoch initially pledged to maintain “equivalent levels of investment” to those currently being made in a “Sky-branded news service” over five years.

He also offered a commitment to establish a “fully independent” and “expert” Sky News Editorial Board, which alone would oversee the appointment of the head of Sky News, in a bid to install protocols that put some distance between editorial decision-making and the Murdoch family.

In revised remedies, issued today and seen by Press Gazette, lawyers for Fox said: “The duration of the commitment to maintain a Sky-branded news service has been extended from at least five years to at least ten years” including a further five years of investment “at a level to be determined”.

Other changes include those to the editorial board, which is now to be known as the Sky News Board.

It will be required on an annual basis to prepare a statement “confirming that no instances of influence or attempted influence or attempted influence of the editorial output of Sky News have been escalated to it by the head of Sky News”.

The board will also have the “explicit right” to nominate a candidate for the role of head of Sky News.

If these remedies are accepted by the CMA and the deal goes ahead, Sky will in fact be owned by Disney following its sale to the US company, along with other assets, in a surprise move by Murdoch in December last year.

The deal, worth $52.4bn (£39bn), will see Disney acquired the 39 per cent of Sky currently owned by Fox and “full ownership” of the broadcaster if and when the Sky takeover bid is completed.

Picture: Reuters:/Stefan Wermuth

Topics in this article : , ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly dose of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network