Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Rupert Murdoch's Fox agrees deal to buy Sky.

https://www.theguardian.com/business...eal-to-buy-sky

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

more reason to never ever go to sky

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

It was sadly inevitable that this nefarious man would get his full hands on Sky sooner rather then later.:(

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Surely you mean "get his full hands back on SKY"

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Yes teacher.;):D

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

I wonder if somebody could explain to me why this is a problem? :shrug:

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Not especially a problem. One person owning so much of the media can obviously be a problem but Sky is much more of a entertainment company and there are restrictions on television news here. We also have the BBC as a counterweight.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

And Cable Forum :).

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Well some would say that the BBC is far too powerful in the news department and needs a real counterweight. Murdoch could provide that balance.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Are we talking about the unbiased left wing leaning BBC news department?

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

They deserve Fox news. :D

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Perhaps one should remind you that this is the man who was owner of News International who were deeply involved in the phone hacking scandal as the odorous stench from that and what he clearly knew and let happen for many many years is still very very clear in my mind.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

I will remind you that NO successful prosecutions resulted.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Indeed but the odorous stench and nefariousness of this man has not gone away old bean.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Are you really so naive that you think that the then owner of News International actually knew what each individual Editor of each newspaper was doing to generate income for each one?

Owners of multi facted newspapers look at one thing only, just like heads of multi corporations. The headline figures provided by the bean counters.

If it ain't making a profit, get rid of it!

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Newspapers aren't a fanastically profitable industry to be in. Influence is the bigger motivation for owning a newspaper than money. Even the relatively profitable ones aren't that profitable in the terms Murdoch will be used too. He owns them for the influence and the romance of journalism.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Are you equally so naive to believe that Rupert Murdoch does not play a part in what is happening at all his companies past and present or whether they are big or small as he would know exactly what his trusted editors and lieutenants were up to at all his companies.

So if you was the owners of these companies you would not know what was going on??

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

What's the point of having a dog and barking yourself? I'd have better things to do.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

He's a hands-on, highly successful proprietor who phones his editors frequently.
It's a shame that another hugely successful British company has been taken over by a foreign owner but it was always on the cards and I don't have a problem with it. At the last bid, Fox agreed to spin-off Sky News. I doubt they will have to do this again as the newspapers are held in a different company (News Corp) and the power of traditional media is weaker today.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

All SKY have done is taken back control since they merged into BSB.

"On 8 July 1988 rival tycoon Rupert Murdoch, having failed to gain regulatory approval for his own satellite service, and failing to become part of the BSB consortium announced that his pan-European television station, Sky Channel, would be relaunched as a four channel UK-based service called Sky Television, using the Astra system and broadcast in PAL with analogue sound.

In October 1990, an enterprising manufacturer came up with a dual satellite dish that could be used to receive both Sky and BSB services, although separate receivers would still be required - the following month this technology became effectively obsolete.

Both companies had begun to struggle with the burden of huge losses, rapidly increasing debts and ongoing startup costs. In November 1990, a 50:50 merger was announced to form a single company, operating as British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), but marketed as Sky. The merger may have saved Sky financially as it had very few major advertisers at the time, so acquiring BSB's healthier advertising contracts and equipment helped to solve the company's problem."

A good move by Murdoch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britis...e_Broadcasting

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Sure, what you have pasted complements but does not contradict what I have said. It's important to note that the Sky of today is far different from the small British company back in 1990.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

But SKY back then was owned by Murdoch. All he's done is sit back and wait until the time was right and Hey Presto, he's back in control. In the meantime he has been reaping rewards for his initial investment.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Sky would not have survived had News Corp not merged it with BSB to form BSkyB. BSkyB was built upon sport and that came from BSB's The Sports Channel; the merger formed a new company.
BSkyB and latterly Sky plc has always been significantly influenced by News Corp with family connections on the board and close working relationships. Recently, Sky News took space in News UK's premises. This is a tidying-up exercise executed now thanks to the weaker Pound and phone-hacking no longer being an issue.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Well bugger me, explain then how Murdoch got back control.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

With a 40% stake in a business and with the remainder owned by small shareholders, the Murdoch family never really lost control. Unless they did something obviously daft, they would not be opposed.
What the Murdochs are now getting is ownership and absolute control.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

I think he should be stopped from owning it on general principle. For no other reason than its him and imo he's not a nice individual.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

:tu: Exactly! :clap:

This increases Murdoch's ability to influence the government to dance to his current tune.He's not a the sit back and do nothing boss he made himself out to be at the Leveson Inquiry.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

It's not a done deal yet though ,even though the newspapers are a separate company Sky have taken over all the European Sky branded companies so the European commision that cleared the previous bids may block this one

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

I'm pretty sure it will happen this time.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

I agree. I don't see any real competition grounds for it to be blocked. There is a Fox Sports channel in Italy but it's now exclusive to Sky Italia anyway.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

It's clear he influences The Sun. Several times his clear personal influences are shown in the paper.

It's complicated though because he seems to be far less interested in imposing a line on The Times which is a very good paper. Also anyone who funds proper journalism instead of the clickbait nonsense we're seeing from the Independent and increasingly The Telegraph is doing some good.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

He is 85 so I'm sure he won't be asserting his influence as much as he's done in the past though. But I agree with you about his performance at the Leveson Enquiry.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

i love this guy well done Rupert

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Nobody has seen Jerry Hall for several months, rumours are she's done a runner... Poor Rupert, let him have his tv stations I say; they're full of US **** anyway.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Gloom.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

don't forget he has spawned offspring

Children: James Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Elisabeth Murdoch, Prudence Murdoch, Chloe Murdoch, Grace Helen Murdoch

gloom indeed

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

exactly Maggy

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

If you want not-for-profit TV there's always the BBC.

Murdoch will do whatever turns a profit as with Sky before his takeover. I don't expect to see much change unlike the doom mongers here.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Really? Murdoch really wants to see the back of the BBC and he now has the influence to bring it about and when he's done that then he really will be the power behind the government..

It's not about profit for him as he's already wealthier than most.It's influence and power by the back door. Something that should worry anyone who truly wishes to live in a democracy.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

It will be interesting on how the government approaches this as the prime minister said on the door of Downing Street when she became PM to the people of this country that 'when we take the big calls, we'll think not of the powerful, but you'.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

I really don't see what profit has to do with it. Without profit, multi-channel TV in this country wouldn't have appeared for many years.

The BBC is widely regarded as politically neutral, but it very plainly is not. We do need a counterbalance to that left leaning organisation and Sky News is well placed to deliver this.

There are rules in this country about political balance and additional safeguards can be introduced by having the independent editorial team that was offered last time around.

I don't like the Murdochs an awful lot myself, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be allowed to run the businesses that they are actually pretty good at running. They have done a very good job at bringing all those TV channels to us, with so much entertainment including films and sport. Shame about the cost, but I dare say the costs are not a long way off from what they are in the US.

---------- Post added at 13:16 ---------- Previous post was at 13:12 ----------

H'mm. So in your world, you would ban people from conducting business because you didn't like them.

Obviously you have lots of friends yourself and would not be hoisted by your own petard. ;)

---------- Post added at 13:21 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------

And, no doubt, our Theresa would conclude that we all benefit from his multi channel offerings and he should be left alone to deliver the programmes we love to watch!

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

It's not about the programmes..it's about influence.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

And sadly Rupert Murdoch has too much influence and power and his political lapdogs be them from whatever party as they have been in the past are cosying up to him again.

Re: Rupert Murdoch's finally gets his hand on Sky
 

Strange how right-wingers think the BBC is left wing, and left-wingers think that it is right wing...;)