News Corporation takeover bid for BSkyB Italia. "The Guardian" went so far as to say that, "Without a full takeover of BSkyB, News Corp's global satellite strategy would look an unco-ordinated mess." The first key turning point in the planned takeover was the removal in December 2010 of regulatory approval from Vince Cable, who had told undercover reporters from "The Daily Telegraph" he had "declared war" on Murdoch. When these comments were made public, the final say on the deal went instead to Jeremy Hunt. Cable's comments on this matter were not published by the "Telegraph", but were instead leaked to BBC journalist Robert Peston, most
National Geographic Channel (UK and Ireland) commercial and advertising sales. The partnership builds and operates National Geographic channels and services across Europe. It is headquartered in London. In December 2006, News Corporation purchased 25 percent of the Society's stake in the company. This meant that BSkyB owned half company, while the National Geographic Society and News Corp held 25 percent share each. In December 2007, BSkyB sold its stake in the partnership to the Fox Entertainment Group, through its Fox Networks Group subsidiary. National Geographic Channel HD is available in the UK and Ireland. It launched on 22 May 2006 on Sky channel 543. The channel