News Corp has told the UK government that it might be prepared to make a concession – with the hiving off of Sky News one option – to avoid a lengthy review of its bid to take full control of British Sky Broadcasting.
Three people familiar with talks between Rupert Murdoch’s media group and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said one option was to separate Sky News, the satellite news channel, from BSkyB.
Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, has strongly recommended the government refer the bid to the Competition Commission on the grounds that it could reduce the diversity of news provision in the UK below an acceptable level, according to two people familiar with the recommendation’s contents.
