UK: Murdoch opponent challenges regulator over Sky deal

Activist group Avaaz stepped up its battle to stop Rupert Murdoch buying Sky, launching a legal challenge to the regulator’s view that the pay-TV group would still be a “fit and proper” owner of a broadcasting license if the deal goes ahead.

Britain’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom ran a “fit and proper” test when it assessed whether the US$15 billion deal to bring Sky under the full control of Murdoch’s Fox should be reviewed on the grounds of broadcasting standards and media plurality.

It said in June that if Sky were fully owned by Twenty-First Century Fox, it would still be “fit and proper” to hold a broadcasting license, and also said it had no serious concerns about Fox’s commitment to broadcasting standards.

Despite Ofcom’s recommendations, Britain’s Culture Secretary Karen Bradley decided this month to refer the deal to a wide-ranging review on the grounds of broadcasting standards and media plurality, which looks at Murdoch’s influence across Britain’s newspaper and broadcasters.

Full Content: Independent

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