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UK: 21st Century Fox “expects Sky approval in 2018”

By  |  August 13, 2017

Approval of 21st Century Fox’s proposed takeover of Sky is likely to come in the first half of 2018, the company said on Wednesday, in a sign it is gearing up for wider review of the merger.

Fox had hoped to close the deal in 2017 but it has been delayed by regulators.

It follows concerns that a deal would give the family of businessman Rupert Murdoch too much control over UK news.

Both Sky and Fox are controlled by Mr Murdoch, who also owns the Times and the Sun newspapers. Fox is seeking to buy the 61% of Sky it doesn’t own.

In June, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said she was “minded” to refer the almost £12bn (US$15.6 billion) deal to the Competition and Markets Authority for wider review, based on the risks to media plurality.

Full Content: Variety

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