Rupert Murdoch Sky bid 'not in public interest', says UK regulator

The initial ruling complicates a plan by Walt Disney Co to buy the majority of Murdoch’s assets, including Sky. Disney had hoped that Murdoch would have taken full control of the European broadcaster by the time the U.S. group completed its takeover.

Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox agreed to buy the 61% of Sky it did not already own in December 2016, re-igniting a political row about the influence he wields through his ownership of newspapers and his current 39% stake in Sky, the biggest pay-TV platform.

The government, which will take the final decision on the deal, asked the Competition and Markets Authority to judge if Murdoch had too much influence in Britain and would uphold broadcasting standards.

CMA provisionally finds Fox/Sky deal not in the public interest