US giant gazumps Murdoch in Sky bid

Rupert Murdoch’s bid for full control of Sky has been gate-crashed by the US cable giant Comcast in a £22billion move to create a vast transatlantic media empire. Announcing his bid, Brian Roberts, Comcast’s chief executive, said that a London cabbie had told him how favourably Sky compared with rival Virgin Media during a business trip to the UK in November. Last night, the Murdochs stood their ground as Fox said it was still committed to its bid for Sky. Business, page 1