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UK: Ofcom set for High Court battle over Sky-Fox ruling

By  |  February 14, 2018

Telecom Regulator Ofcom is facing a High Court battle over its ruling that Sky would remain “fit and proper” to hold a UK broadcasting licence if snapped up by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, reported Bloomberg.

Activist group Avaaz has won the right for a judicial review of the decision to be heard before June 30.

The challenge is the latest obstacle for Murdoch’s bid, which has faced a succession of regulatory and political tests to get clearance. Fox, which already owns 39% of Sky, is trying to purchase the remainder and plans to sell the broadcaster to Walt Disney as part of their US$52.4 billion asset deal announced in December.

If Avaaz’s legal challenge is upheld, Ofcom would have to re-open its investigation into Fox’s fitness and propriety, a move that could look at the organization’s handling of recent racial and sexual harassment allegations at Fox News in the US.

Full Content: Bloomberg

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