Rupert Murdoch said on Monday that "he had never asked a British prime minister for anything, seeking to play down his influence ahead of what is likely to be a politically charged approval process" for his $14.6B bid for pay-TV group Sky. Twenty-First Century Fox made a "formal approach to take full control" of the British-based Sky last week. In a letter, Murdoch rejected the suggestion that he had once said, "When I go into Downing Street, they do what I say; when I go to Brussels, they take no notice." He added, "There is much fake news published about me. Let me make clear that I have never uttered those words. I have made it a principle all my life never to ask for anything from any prime minister." The British government will have to decide in the new year "whether to refer the new bid for further scrutiny by the media regulator Ofcom" (REUTERS, 12/19).
Nine won Saturday's ratings "and with them the ratings week." Thanks to cricket, the network took a 24.6% share of Saturday night's audience, "well ahead" of Seven's 19.6%. The first session of the third day of the first Australia-Pakistan test drew an average metro audience of 709,000. This rose to 872,000 for the second session and 885,000 for the third (MUMBRELLA, 12/18).
Commentary of three derby matches in this season's Big Bash League and Women's Big Bash League will be made available live to Australia's Indian community in Hindi via the Cricket Australia Live app and cricket.com.au to cater to cricket's diverse fan base. The initiative is a result of the partnership between Cricket Australia and Indian Link Media Group (Cricket Australia).
The Int'l Ski Federation (FIS) announced the launch of its new official mobile application. It will be available on Android and iOS device. The FIS App brings together official results, data and live timing to complement editorial coverage on the FIS website. Additionally, it will have a major focus on video material, including near-live clips and highlights for World Cup competitions (FIS).
