Deals
Murdoch Faces Wide-Ranging U.K. Probe Over Fox’s Bid for Sky
- Government inclined to scrutinize deal on broadcast standards
- Decision set to push potential deal completion well into 2018
Fox's Sky Bid Faces Expanded U.K. Government Probe
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The U.K. plans to expand its probe into 21st Century Fox Inc.’s bid for pay-TV broadcaster Sky Plc, exposing Rupert Murdoch and his family to further scrutiny over governance at their media empire and adding to the uncertainty about the 11.7 billion-pound ($15.5 billion) deal.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley is inclined to ask the Competition and Markets Authority to conduct a months-long investigation into Fox’s commitment to broadcasting standards, in addition to a widely expected CMA review over whether the deal would give the Murdochs too much influence over U.K. media, she said Tuesday in Parliament.