The culture secretary has officially referred the proposed merger between 21st Century Fox and Sky Plc to the Competition Markets Authority (CMA).
The Phase 2 investigation is on grounds on media plurality and genuine commitment to broadcasting standards media public interest.
In recent weeks there have been a series of representations concerning Fox News, the US news station pulled from the Sky line-up. On Monday political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes launched a legal action in the US claiming she had been raped by long-serving anchor Charles Payne. He denies the charges, which his representative described as a “baseless complaint”.
There’s now 24 weeks for the CMA to make its report.
