UK regulator puts brake on Murdoch 's $15.7 billion Sky deal
Rupert Murdoch
LONDON (Reuters) -  Rupert Murdochâs  $15.7 billion takeover of Sky is not in the public interest and should be blocked unless a way is found to prevent the media tycoon from influencing the networkâs news output  Britainâs regulator said.
The initial ruling complicates a separate plan by Walt Disney Co to buy the majority of Murdochâs assets  including Sky. Disney had hoped  Murdoch  would own 100 percent of the European broadcaster by the time it completed its takeover.
 Murdoch âs Twenty-First Century Fox agreed to buy the 61 percent of Sky it did not already own in December 2016  re-igniting a political row in Britain about the influence he wields through his ownership of newspapers the Sun and the Times and his stake in Sky  the biggest pay-TV platform.
Critics of the deal argue that  Murdoch  could hold sway over the editorial output of Sky News  a loss making but award-winning 24-hour channel. Sky warned that were the deal to be rejected because of Sky News  it could shut the channel itself.
The British government  which will take the final decision on the deal  asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to judge if  Murdoch  had too much influence in Britain and would uphold broadcasting standards.
Possible ways to resolve concerns about  Murdoch âs influence in Britain could include spinning off or divesting Sky News  or insulating Sky News from Foxâs influence  the CMA said. A third option is to block the deal outright.
LONDON (Reuters) -   [TGT] âs  $15.7 billion takeover of Sky is not in the public interest and should be blocked unless a way is found to prevent the media tycoon from influencing the networkâs news output  Britainâs regulator said.
The initial ruling complicates a separate plan by Walt Disney Co to buy the majority of Murdochâs assets  including Sky. Disney had hoped  Murdoch  would own 100 percent of the European broadcaster by the time it completed its takeover.
 Murdoch âs Twenty-First Century Fox agreed to buy the 61 percent of Sky it did not already own in December 2016  re-igniting a political row in Britain about the influence he wields through his ownership of newspapers the Sun and the Times and his stake in Sky  the biggest pay-TV platform.
Critics of the deal argue that  Murdoch  could hold sway over the editorial output of Sky News  a loss making but award-winning 24-hour channel. Sky warned that were the deal to be rejected because of Sky News  it could shut the channel itself.
The British government  which will take the final decision on the deal  asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to judge if  Murdoch  had too much influence in Britain and would uphold broadcasting standards.
Possible ways to resolve concerns about  Murdoch âs influence in Britain could include spinning off or divesting Sky News  or insulating Sky News from Foxâs influence  the CMA said. A third option is to block the deal outright.