James Murdoch remains in place as chairman of BSkyB having been re-elected to the company’s board at the Annual General Meeting yesterday.
Murdoch received the support of 81.24 per cent of BSkyB shareholders who voted, with 18.76 per cent of votes cast against. When votes withheld are taken into account, Murdoch received the support of 75.4 per cent of shareholders, versus 17.4 per cent opposed and 7.2 per cent withheld.
However, more than 16 per cent of shareholders voted against the group’s remuneration report.
“The Board recognises that there have been contrasting views among shareholders on the question of the chairmanship,” commented Nick Ferguson, BSkyB’s deputy chairman. “The entire BSkyB Board is now determined to move forward to maintain BSkyB’s strong performance, grow its positive contribution to UK life, and create value for all shareholders.”
Murdoch had been under pressure as a result of the newspaper phonehacking scandal that ultimately led to the abandonment of plans by News Corp to take full control of BSkyB.
