Britain's government has asked two regulators to evaluate Rupert Murdoch's effort to consolidate his U.K. media holdings.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley has asked media regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority to review public interest issues surrounding Twenty-First Century Fox's plan to buy the shares it doesn't already own in Sky Plc.
Bradley says she will decide whether the merger should proceed after receiving the reports, due by May 16.
Twenty-First Century Fox, the U.S. media group controlled by Murdoch, already owns 39 percent of Sky. An earlier attempt to buy the remaining shares was scuttled by the 2011 phone-hacking scandal that rocked Murdoch's British newspapers.
The takeover values Sky, which broadcasts Premier League soccer and top film and television offerings, at 18.5 billion pounds ($22.7 billion).
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