Sky Threatens to Shut News Channel for 21st Century Fox Deal

Sky Threatens to Shut News Channel for 21st Century Fox Deal
LONDON — The British satellite broadcaster Sky warned on Tuesday
that it may shut down its 24-hour news channel if the property becomes an obstacle to the company’s effort to sell itself to Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox.
The takeover of Sky would give 21st Century Fox control of a Pan-European satellite network, as well as rights to
additional content such as broadcasts of the English Premier League and other soccer leagues in parts of Europe.
Mr. Murdoch is a divisive figure in Britain, and critics have questioned whether owning Sky would give his
company too much power over British media, with stakes in television, newspaper and online outlets.
The bid by 21st Century Fox, a multinational media company based in New York, is rooted in the company’s effort to expand its global reach.
Questions over the fate of the deal, in which 21st Century Fox would buy the 61 percent of Sky
that it does not already own, have haunted it from the beginning.