Bad apples

8 March 2012 By Quentin Webb

The UK media watchdog has a special team assessing the U.S. media group’s fitness to run broadcaster BSkyB. That test is applied regularly anyway. But the situation’s heated politics make it a less remote possibility that authorities require Rupert Murdoch to sell.

This content is for Subscribers only

Context News

Britain’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has escalated its probe into whether British Sky Broadcasting is a “fit and proper” owner of a broadcasting licence, the Financial Times reported on March 8.

The FT, citing information obtained via a Freedom of Information request, said Ofcom had established a dedicated team in January dubbed “Project Apple” to scrutinise the results of Britain’s Leveson inquiry into the media and police investigations into phone-hacking and corruption.

The probe is considering the status of BSkyB Chairman James Murdoch and BSkyB’s 39.1 percent owner News Corp, the newspaper said.

Email a friend

Please complete the form below.

Required fields *