2017
June
Karen Bradley rules on whether UK government will allow Rupert Murdoch’s 21 Century Fox to take 100% control of Sky.
April
The European regulator gives Fox’s £11.7bn proposed takeover of Sky “unconditional approval”, clearing it of any potential competition issues.
March
The culture secretary, Karen Bradley, refers Fox’s bid to Ofcom, the UK regulator, over public interest concerns. The watchdog is tasked with investigating whether the deal gives Rupert Murdoch too much control of UK news media and whether Fox, which owns the rightwing Fox News channel, will adhere to existing standards of accuracy and impartiality once it takes full control of broadcasting assets including Sky News.
Separately, Ofcom launches an investigation to establish whether the Murdoch family are “fit and proper” owners of Sky after the phone-hacking scandal and sexual harassment allegations that have emerged at Fox News in the US.
2016
9 December
Sky announces that its independent directors have agreed an offer price of £10.75 per share in cash from 21st Century Fox.
October
More than 50% of Sky’s independent shareholders vote against James Murdoch’s reappointment as chairman at the annual general meeting.
January
Sky announces that James Murdoch is to return as chairman in May, replacing Nicholas Ferguson.
2014
July
BSkyB buys 21st Century Fox’s 57.4% stake in Sky Deutschland and 100% of Sky Italia for about £4.9bn. It also buys out the other shareholders in Sky Deutchsland to take full control of the broadcaster. The deal adds nearly 10 million subscribers in Germany and Italy to the company’s 11.5 million customers in the UK and Ireland. In November, BSkyB rebrands as Sky.
2013
June
Murdoch’s BSkyB stake moves to newly created TV and film company 21st Century Fox, which is spun out of News Corporation into a separately listed public company. His newspapers, including the Sun, Times and Sunday Times, become part of a second company, News Corp.
2012
September
Ofcom concludes that BSkyB remains a fit and proper owner of broadcast licences. However, it is highly critical of James Murdoch over his handling of the phone-hacking scandal when he was chairman of the publisher of the Sun, Times and the now-defunct News of the World.
April
James Murdoch steps down as BSkyB chairman but remains on the board.
2011
July
News Corporation abandons Sky takeover on the day all three main UK political parties are due to call on it to drop the deal in a Commons vote, as public outrage over the News of the World phone-hacking scandal grows.
2010
June
BSkyB rejects a 675p a share offer from News Corporation for the 61% of the satellite broadcaster it does not own. The offer is increased to 700p and the two sides start talks. In the same month, BSkyB announces annual pre-tax profits topped £1bn for the first time.
2007
December
James Murdoch is promoted to chairman and chief executive of BSkyB’s parent company News Corporation. Jeremy Darroch replaces him as BSkyB chief executive.
2006
July
Sky Broadband launches, taking on telecoms competitors including BT.
2003
November
Murdoch sees off a potential shareholder revolt to install his son James as BSkyB chief executive.
1998
October
BSkyB launches Sky Digital, offering hundreds of channels and more interactivity.
1994
November
BSkyB becomes a publicly listed company, floating on the London and New York stock exchanges, raising £900m by offering 20% of the stock to investors. Murdoch’s holding reduced to 39%.
1992
August
BSkyB launches live coverage of the first season of Premier League football, revolutionising UK TV sport and boosting the company’s subscriber numbers.
1990
November
After a costly battle for subscribers with rival BSB, Murdoch engineers a 50/50 merger creating BSkyB, with Sky executives taking most senior jobs in the new company.
1989
5 February
Rupert Murdoch launches analogue satellite broadcaster Sky Television, offering nine channels including Sky News.
