We can all argue; it happens to the best of the news channels. But not able to air programs in the UK is not going to go well with Fox News. After a long 15 years, it can no longer air its content in Great Britain.
21st Century Fox to Take Down Fox News
The US media giant 21st Century Fox made announcement to soon take down Fox News from Great Britain. Furthermore, the media group says that it makes zero commercial sense to keep operating in Great Britain.
Will Ofcom Investigate 21st Century Fox?
There is news of 21st Century Fox offering £11.7bn to take over Sky News. The Culture Secretary of the UK is said to investigate this matter and may talk to the competition regulators. However, the body may evaluate if the bid violates the broadcasting standards.
Profitability Prime Reason Behind Fox News
The sources close to the sad demise of Fox News say it is purely a business decision. They argue that the channel could only get a meager 2000 viewers per day. Therefore, they maintain that it is no longer viable for it to keep operating in the country.
Statement by Fox News on its Departure from the British TV Industry
The statement clearly says that since Fox News is mainly designed for the US audiences, it will focus all its energies there. An average of few thousand viewers a day won’t mean much in terms of profitability. Therefore, in the better commercial interest of the company, it is deciding to move away from the UK.
Is It Profitability or Something Else?
It is not easy to say what is prompting Fox News to leave Great Britain. There is an underlying problem of sexual harassment prompting many high-profile figures to leave the channel.
A Trump Connection
Well, almost everything controversial these days somehow ends with Donald Trump on the other end. This time it seems the channel is also under fire for collaborating with White House (read Trump house) on a murdered Democrat activist. Such level of manipulation to get a story gave bad press to Fox News. Many compare this shady way of investigative journalism to how World News hacked the phone of a murdered girl named Milly Dowler.
Ofcom and Media Regulations
Ofcom, the media regulatory authority in the UK has also passed several regulatory rulings against the Fox News. The total number of breaches by Fox News in the UK reach up to 22. Among many controversial issues, one of the programs by Fox News invited a guest. In that program the guest stated that Birmingham has become a city where non-Muslims cannot go, creating a big controversy in the UK.
The Future of 21st Century Fox in the UK
Although Fox News is going out of the UK, it does not necessarily impact the business of 21st Century Fox in Great Britain. The regulators are worried after reporting of the sexual assault cases if they should let 21st Century Fox keep operating in the country or not.
