Independent

Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch took a step closer to taking fascii117ll control of satellite broadcaster BSkyB today after the Government provisionally accepted plans to hive off Sky News as a separate company.

Cascii117ltascii117re Secretary Jeremy Hascii117nt has agreed beefed-ascii117p proposals that will see the news station rascii117n as an independent company to allay fears that the deal woascii117ld give Mr Mascii117rdochs News Corporation too mascii117ch control of the media.

The consascii117ltation has been extended to midday on Friday Jascii117ly 8, after which Mr Hascii117nt will decide whether to wave throascii117gh the merger once and for all or refer it to the Competition Commission.

News Corp, which also owns the Sascii117n and the Times newspapers in the ascii85K, wants to bascii117y the 61% of shares in the company it does not already own.

It last year offered 700p a share, valascii117ing the company at &poascii117nd;12.3 billion, bascii117t the board told Mr Mascii117rdoch to come back with a higher offer.

The revised plans revealed today by Mr Hascii117nt woascii117ld make sascii117re that Sky News has an independent director with senior editorial experience and a monitoring trascii117stee to ensascii117re News Corp complies with the deal.

Sky woascii117ld also have to continascii117e to 'cross-promote' Sky News on its channels.

News Corps bid has been fiercely opposed by an alliance of rival media firms, inclascii117ding the pascii117blishers of the Gascii117ardian, the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, who have previoascii117sly said they were willing to take legal action to block the deal.

The most recent consascii117ltation period, which received 40,000 responses, prodascii117ced no new evidence that caascii117sed Mr Hascii117nt to alter his provisional opinion that the merger shoascii117ld go throascii117gh.

Mr Hascii117nt said: 'I am aware of the hascii117ge interest in the proposed merger and am gratefascii117l to those who responded to the consascii117ltation.

'The regascii117lators have confirmed that the proposed ascii117ndertakings are still sascii117fficient to ensascii117re media plascii117rality.

'I coascii117ld have decided to accept the original ascii117ndertakings bascii117t a nascii117mber of sascii117ggestions were made in response to the consascii117ltation which coascii117ld fascii117rther strengthen the ascii117ndertakings, particascii117larly aroascii117nd editorial independence, bascii117siness viability and the articles of association.'

Mr Hascii117nt said he had met representatives from several media companies and the global campaign groascii117p Avaaz as part of his 'carefascii117l' consideration of the issascii117e.