Murdoch Junior on the move from Sky
Murdoch has been at the company, where his father Rupert is chairman, for just over three years. He is expected to take up a role at US-based News Corporation, which is the biggest shareholder in Sky with a 39% stake.
Rupert Murdoch is understood to have wanted his son to return to America at the end of last year. But James argued that he needed to remain at Sky at least until this summer to see through the introduction of both broadband and high definition television, both of which were projects he instigated.
It is understood that Rupert Murdoch was keen to have his son join him while he was still battling with fellow media mogul John Malone of Media, who had taken an 18% voting stake in News Corp, rivalling the Murdochs’ 30%.
However, in a 5.6bn deal in December, Rupert gave Malone a controlling stake in News Corp’s US satellite firm DirecTV in return for his News Corp stake. Rupert, 75, now has a 36% voting stake in News Corp.
Son James is seen by the City as having performed well at the UK’s most successful commercial television provider, which now has more than eight million subscribers.
Mockridge, a New Zealander, is a former journalist and former chief executive of Foxtel, News Corp’s Australian pay-TV group.
BSkyB said: ‘We have never commented on this kind of speculation.’
Darling to push for BSkyB probe
Trade Secretary Alistair Darling is this week expected to order media regulator Ofcom to investigate the deal in which BSkyB took a near-20% stake in .
The intervention order will require Ofcom to look into the public interest aspects of Sky having an influential slice of the broadcaster that provides many top family shows such as Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
Darling’s move is prompted by recent action by the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the competition aspects of the deal.
Darling, who was in India last week with Gordon Brown, has not yet made a decision to refer the situation to the watchdog, but even Sky is understood to be resigned to such a move.
One City source said: ‘Given that we are talking about two such iconic names with huge reach into British homes, it would be very difficult to resist calls.’
The Department of Trade and Industry declined to comment.
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