Ofcom should have final say on media takeovers, say peers

Committee says final decision on plurality issues should rest with regulator rather than secretary of stateA Lords committee has called for politicians to be stripped of the power to have the final say on large media deals, following the heavily criticised process surrounding News Corporation's £8bn bid to take full control of BSkyB.The House of Lords communications committee report on media plurality, published on Tuesday, also says the BBC should be included in any assessment for the first time, as should the impact of newspaper websites and digital outlets such as the Huffington Post, Google News, Facebook and Twitter.Lord Inglewood, the committee's chair, said the industry regulator Ofcom should have the final say on plurality and competition issues surrounding any major media deal."Issues surrounding media plurality have come under the policy spotlight during the present parliament, after concerns were raised about the proposed (and subsequently abandoned) purchase of BSkyB by News Corporation," Inglewood said. "Responsibility for reconciling plurality and competition assessments of transactions and for reaching a final decision should rest with the Ofcom board, not the secretary of state."The government's handling of an investigation into Rupert Murdoch's attempt to increase his stake in BSkyB from 39.1% to full control in 2010/2011 attracted widespread criticism.Vince Cable, the business secretary, was stripped of responsibility for weighing the ramifications of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Ofcom should have final say on media takeovers, say peers"


BBC’s public service remit includes recipes | Letters

The BBC has been in the publishing business, either on paper or online, for its entire 93-year history (Is it really the BBC’s role to publish free recipes for harissa spiced lamb?, 20 May). Why are the Tories suddenly intimidated by this? I thought that capitalism welcomed competition? As a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Harriet Harman: 'The Daily Mail should be apologising, not me'

Labour deputy leader claims paper's associate editor has admitted she was never an apologist for paedophiliaHarriet Harman has again called on the Daily Mail to "apologise and put the record straight" over its claims she turned a blind eye to a paedophile lobbying group in the 1970s.The Labour... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ofcom should have final say on media takeovers, say peers

Committee says final decision on plurality issues should rest with regulator rather than secretary of stateA Lords committee has called for politicians to be stripped of the power to have the final say on large media deals, following the heavily criticised process surrounding News Corporation's... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Times editor and former PCC member join Ipso's appointment panel

Newspaper publishers have announced the latest stage in their creation of their new regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).The former judge who chairs the "foundation group", Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, and the former civil servant, Sir Hayden Phillips, who was... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sir Harold Evans backs plan for new press regulator to rival Ipso

The Impress Project aims to attract newspapers and publishers that want a regulator 'independent of owners and politicians'The former editor of the Sunday Times, Sir Harold Evans, is backing an initiative to set up a press regulator to rival the body being launched by the publishers of the Sun,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Rightster helps brands to cash in on the commercial rewards of online video

Multichannel network distributes, syndicates and matches content creators with online publishersYou may never have heard of Rightster but you have more than likely watched videos it syndicates on YouTube, newspaper websites and specialist live streaming sites like one for the recent... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


UK Newspapers Fail to Block Royal Charter on Press Regulation

London (CNN) -- UK newspaper and magazine publishers lost a High Court bid Wednesday to block the progress of a government-backed royal charter on press regulation. The royal charter, which has cross-party backing, was due to go before the Privy Co ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this