Murdoch primed for BSkyB

THE British broadcaster BSkyB said has said the chief executive who put it in profit was leaving, and investors were concerned his job will go to the relatively untested youngest son of media baron Rupert Murdoch.

British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc confirmed long-standing speculation that its chief executive, Tony Ball, who steered the company from a loss-maker into London’s most valuable media stock, had decided not to renew his contract.

The company said Ball, who joined the firm in June 1999, will continue as chief executive until a successor was appointed. It said this was likely to be well before Ball’s current contract ends on May 31, 2004.