British newspapers and the BBC have asked the government to block Rupert Murdoch-controlled News Corp's bid to take over the rest of British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) Group, saying it harms the public interest.
In a joint letter, the director general of the BBC and the owners of newspapers including the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian demanded that Business Secretary Vince Cable challenge the deal.
The companies wrote the takeover would expand News Corp's control of UK media outlets. BBC, phone operator BT Group and Channel Four Television confirmed sending the letter.
"We believe that the proposed takeover could have serious and far-reaching consequences for media plurality," according to the letter posted on the Financial Times's website.
Mr Murdoch's News Corp in June offered £7.8 billion in its initial bid for the 61 per cent of BSkyB, the United Kingdom's biggest pay-television operator, it does not own. BSkyB rejected the offer as too little, and the final price of the deal will not be negotiated until after regulatory approval is received. News Corp owns the Times, Sunday Times and Sun newspapers in the United Kingdom.
The Financial Times said in an editorial last month that Mr Cable should examine the deal. The combination of News Corp with BSkyB would create a "formidable beast," that "might dominate the media scene, lock out challengers and stifle diversity of debate," it said.
BBC director-general Mark Thompson said in an interview the deal raises "questions that should be looked at".
"Given the scale of the potential ownership in UK media, there's a strong case for looking at it systemically and deciding whether or not anything needs to be done to address the issue," he said.
Bloomberg