NewsCorp withdraws bid for BSkyB

I'll put up a link when one is available.

Edit: BBC Clicky

This will only be good news if the Government addresses how much of the press one person or corporation can own. Otherwise the deal could be back on the table when something else is pushed into the headlines.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Guido Fawkes tweeted an interesting spin on this:
Referral to competition Commission would have delayed takeover by 6 months. City takeover rules allow re-bid after six months.

Is he just waiting for the dust to settle?

Yup.

Unless they instigate other rules and constraints on press ownership then they'll just go ahead with the deal at a later date, under the radar.

At the moment they've been buying back shares in NewsCorp, funnily enough while they're trading at a reduced price.

I'd laugh my c*ck off if he waited six months, re-bid and was then still referred to the competition commission.

It will be interesting to see if Ofcom proceed with their "fit and proper" inquiry, and subsequently force News International to sell their existing stake in BSKYB.

I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Vince was right all along. Jeremy *unt was wrong all along.

What's the betting they try again in a coule of years when all the hoo haa has died down.

Not if they are declared unfit to run a TV network. That might take them many years to do and James might have a criminal record by then.

He's Australian, criminal records come as standard.

Why isn't he working behind a bar then?