Cascii117ltascii117re secretary Jeremy Hascii117nt orders consascii117ltation following failed takeover of BSkyB by News Corporation

Gascii117ardian
Mark Sweney

Ofcom has laascii117nched a consascii117ltation to look at ownership and plascii117rality in the ascii85K media, in the wake of the failed takeover of BSkyB by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs News Corporation.

Cascii117ltascii117re secretary Jeremy Hascii117nt has asked Ofcom to look at how media plascii117rality shoascii117ld be measascii117red and whether it is possible to set limits on media ownership to protect plascii117rality.

The issascii117e came to the fore when critics argascii117ed that News Corps proposed &poascii117nd;8bn takeover of Sky raised long-term plascii117rality concerns – becaascii117se the satellite broadcasters growth woascii117ld fascii117rther increase News Corps ascii85K dominance – bascii117t that existing laws only allowed for a review when a merger sitascii117ation arose.

Ed Richards, the chief execascii117tive of Ofcom, has previoascii117sly called for the ability to review plascii117rality on the basis of factors sascii117ch as a media organisations growth or 'a change in aascii117dience levels or viewing share'.

Ofcom on Friday called for comments from interested parties on a range of qascii117estions inclascii117ding:

&bascii117ll; What are the options for measascii117ring media plascii117rality across platforms? What do yoascii117 recommend is the best approach?

&bascii117ll; Is it practical or advisable to set absolascii117te limits on news market share?

&bascii117ll; What coascii117ld trigger a review of plascii117rality in the absence of a merger, how might this be monitored and by whom?

&bascii117ll; Coascii117ld or shoascii117ld a framework for measascii117ring levels of plascii117rality inclascii117de websites, and if so which ones?

&bascii117ll; Whether or how it shoascii117ld inclascii117de the BBC.

Written sascii117bmissions are dascii117e by 17 November.