Murdoch’s swoop for Sky to be referred to regulator

RUPERT MURDOCH’S £11.7bn bid to take full control of Sky is to be referred to the competition regulator for further investigation, the Culture Secretary has said.

Karen Bradley has been assessing thousands of responses following a consultation about the proposal from 21st Century Fox.

After weeks of deliberation, Ms Bradley confirmed she intends to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to conduct a fuller investigation into the bid on the grounds of media plurality.

She added she is also now minded to refer the merger to the CMA on the grounds of “genuine commitment to broadcasting standards”.

Ms Bradley outlined her decision on whether to refer the bid for a six-month investigation to the CMA in a statement in the Commons.

She said: “Turning to the question first of media plurality, I can confirm that none of the representations received have persuaded me to change my position.

“Accordingly I can confirm my intention to make a referral on the media plurality ground to the CMA.”

Ms Bradley said the legal threshold to refer a bid to the CMA is low, and she has the power to do so if she believes there is a non-fanciful risk of a merger operating against specified public interests.

She said the first concern was around Fox’s compliance procedures for the broadcast of Fox News in the UK, noting the company only took action to improve its approach after Ofcom expressed concerns.

Ms Bradley said: “Ofcom has now confirmed it considers this to raise non-fanciful concerns but which are not sufficiently serious to warrant referral.

“I consider that these non-fanciful concerns do warrant further consideration.”