LONDON, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The British government on Thursday referred to the competitions authority n 11.7 billion pound (14.5 billion U.S. dollars) bid by 21st Century Fox to take full control of Sky satellite broadcasting company.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said in a statement to members of Parliament (MPs) that the bid by 21st Century Fox to acquire the 61 percent of Sky that it does not already own would be examined by the media oversight body Ofcom and also to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The examination will cover media plurality and commitment to broadcasting standards, said Bradley.
Ofcom will examine public interest considerations of monopoly media ownership and the CMA will examine jurisdiction issues, said Bradley, who issued a deadline of May 16 for the examinations to be completed.
21st Century Fox, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, said in a statement: "We are confident that a thorough review of our track record over 30 years will underscore our commitment to upholding high broadcast standards, and will demonstrate that the transaction will not result in there being insufficient plurality in the UK."
