News Corp’s acquisition of BSkyB is believed to have moved a step closer following the delivery of a report on the proposed deal by the regulator Ofcom. However, a newspaper report indicating that the deal might be approved as soon as next week has not been confirmed.
The report from Ofcom was delivered to the UK’s Culture Ministry yesterday (June 22), sparking speculation that the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt would give the green light to the deal, which would see News Corp buy the 60.9% of Sky it does not already own, as soon as early next week.
The proposed deal, which was first announced last summer, has attracted strong criticism from various sections of the UK media.
Earlier this year it was reported that News Corp was prepared to sell Sky News in order to reduce the time spent reviewing the deal.