Ofcom eyes News Corp ‘fit and proper’ probe July 8, 2011 Media watchdog Ofcom has released a letter it has presented to the chairman of the House of Commons culture committee, over News Corp’s proposed takeover of broadcaster BSkyB. Ofcom’s letter to MP John Whittingdale made clear its awareness that it can commission an investigation into whether New Corp would make a “fit and proper” owner [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 7, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES STANDARD LIFE COMES UNDER FIRE FOR RAISING FUND FEES Financial advisers have threatened to pull millions of pounds out of Standard Life Investments after the provider took the unusual step of raising fees on some of its funds, bucking the trend for fund managers to cut headline costs for investors. SLI said that [...]
NEWS CORP FEARS DELAY TO SKY BID July 6, 2011 NEWS Corp bosses yesterday feared they may be forced to delay the firm’s multi billion pound bid for BSkyB, as the toxic political and commercial fallout of the phone hacking scandal continued to gather pace. Bankers close to the deal told City A.M. that negotiations have ground to a halt while both sides consider the [...]
FIT AND PROPER TEST July 6, 2011 Q.COULD OFCOM STOP NEWS CORP’S BID FOR BSKYB? A.No. But it could intervene once News Corp has bought the satellite company and withdraw its broadcasting licence on the grounds that it is not a “fit and proper” owner of television channels. Q.IS OFCOM LIKELY TO SAY NEWS CORP DOESN’T PASS THE TEST? A.It doesn’t have [...]
Advertisers snub Murdoch tabloid July 5, 2011 A string of top companies yesterday said they could pull advertising from the News of the World as the phone hacking crisis engulfing the newspaper continued to escalate. Ford said it will not place adverts in this weekend’s edition and companies including nPower, Halifax and Everything Everywhere say they are considering cutting ads in light [...]
News Corp’s bid for BSkyB gets approval June 30, 2011 JEREMY Hunt finally waved through News Corp’s proposed bid for BSkyB yesterday after accepting a string of concessions over Sky News. The decision from the culture secretary (pictured) marks the end of a long period of negotiations between the media giant, Department of Culture officials, the Office of Fair Trading and Ofcom. The decision will [...]
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR June 29, 2011 MICROCHIPS, miners and media – not to mention Man and the master of temporary power supplies Aggreko. This year’s shortlist for Business of the Year crosses sectors, but the finalists share ambition, innovation and bold decision-taking. Old and new, none are resting on their laurels or copying the past: all are looking to the future. [...]
Sky directors expect News to pay more June 26, 2011 SOURCES close to BSkyB’s independent directors were last night calling for Rupert Murdoch to pay at least £9 per share to take full control of the satellite broadcaster. The same sources also indicated that a price of up to £10.40 a share, as called for by Crispin Odey, the founder of Odey Asset Management and [...]
FTSE tumbles to three-month closing low on energy worries June 23, 2011 MINERS and energy stocks were the worst hit members of Britain’s sharply lower FTSE 100 index yesterday, hit by heightened fears of a slowdown in global growth. The FTSE 100 ended down 98.61 points, or 1.7 per cent, at 5,674.38, its lowest close since 16 March when markets were plunging in the immediate aftermath of [...]
News Corp’s bid for Sky to get clearance June 22, 2011 CULTURE secretary Jeremy Hunt is likely to rubber stamp News Corp’s bid for BSkyB within a fortnight. He is expected to trigger a final seven day period of consultation after receiving documents from Ofcom outlining a series of guarantees over the future financial and editorial independence of Sky News. Hunt will be unable to issue [...]