Ofcom to measure cross-media ownership in the UK

Jeremy Hunt is set to ask Ofcom to establish an agreed means of measuring cross-media ownership in the UK following the row over Rupert Murdoch’s previous bid for BSkyB.

The currency is likely to cover TV, newspaper, radio and other media to determine a new set of ownership restrictions. Hunt wants the media regulator to examine whether it would be “practical or advisable to set absolute limits on news market share”, according to the Guardian.

The culture secretary, who will speak at the Royal Television Society festival on Wednesday, is expected to say that “we need to better understand how we should measure plurality across platforms. I intend to ask Ofcom to examine what the options are for measuring media plurality in our digital age, and recommend the best approach.”

A new set of rules is likely to impact both the BBC and News Corporation.

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