UK: Murdoch to lend helping hand to rival?

Posted by John Burke on February 6, 2006 at 11:25 AM

Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper division of News Corp., News International, has offered to print the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, owned by its competitor, the Barclay brothers. If a deal is struck, News International would be printing papers worth more than half of the daily UK newspaper market.

It is speculated that the Murdoch-owned group is looking for a contract with another publisher to help with some of the costs for its planned £600 investment in new printing presses.

However, according to the Guardian, the Barclay brothers are unlikely to comply due to a current lawsuit against News international's quality daily, The Times. Barclay claims that the Times printed a "libellous and defamatory" article questioning Barclay's 2004 purchase of the Telegraph.

Source: The Guardian

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