UK's CMA to Investigate Fox/Sky

U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley is referring Fox's planned buy of Sky to the Competition and Markets Authority for a full, six-month investigation, she said in a statement Thursday to Parliament. The CMA investigation is to be on media plurality and genuine commitment to broadcasting standards grounds, she said. She said she received letters from Sky and Fox confirming they disagreed with her announcement Tuesday that she likely would refer the deal (see 1709120010) and that CMA will provide a recommendation on whether to allow the transaction, including possible conditions. Fox in a statement said it "look[s] forward to engaging constructively with the CMA, as independent authority, and hope that the findings of this process will be respected by the Secretary of State." It still hopes to close on Sky by the end of June.