Online categories |
Ofcom takes serious actions in BSKYB probe
Media regulating investigations has deepened into whether News Corporation has a real majority of shareholders of the broadcaster. In order to accomplish it, subsidiary News Group Newspapers were asked to prepare documents on the lawsuits concerning this issue and related to phone hacking. Ofcom has been gathering necessary information since last summer, but all previous efforts were focused on publicly available information from different newspapers reports. Ofcom has a right to oblige News Corporation to significantly cut down its 39% shareholding in BSkyB, or officially cancel company's broadcasting license. This month James Murdoch left his executive chairman of BSkyB, but it seems to be not the end. He could also lose his position of non-executive director in the board. Last year News Corporation had done a great job in order to take control of BSkyB, but because of some news concerning phone hacking tactics the bid was abandoned. On April 27, at the Leverson inquiry Rupert Murdoch, who is the News Corporation chairman, apologized for problems that arose after first hacking scandal and he also told that he was sorry he didn't manage to close the News of the World previous year. He added that "fake" executives "covered up" the misdeed at the Sunday tabloid. Moreover, information, he was seeking for, was hidden. BSkyB and News Corporation haven't commented the Ofcom's deep investigation endeavors. |
Ofcom keeps on probing BSkyB in order to figure out whether it is a real broadcasting license owner.