MUMBAI: James Murdoch, the scion of media empire News Corporation, has distanced himself from the phone hacking scandal at UK publishing business News International by putting the blame on his subordinates who he alleged misled him on the goings-on at the now defunct News of the World tabloid.

Speaking under oath at Lord Justice Brian Leveson?s inquiry into media ethics, Murdoch alleged that the tabloid?s then-editor Colin Myler and the company?s former in-house lawyer Tom Crone misled him about the illegal activities at the tabloid.

According to Associated Press, Leveson asked Murdoch: "Can you think of a reason why Mr. Myler or Mr. Crone should keep this information from you? Was your relationship with them such that they may think: ?Well we needn?t bother him with that? or ?We better keep it from it because he?ll ask to cut out the cancer??"

"That must be it," Murdoch said. "I would say: ?Cut out the cancer,? and there was some desire to not do that."

The News Corp has been at the centre of scandal ever since it came to light that reporters at the News of the World hacked into the phones of hundreds of high-profile people, including a teenage murder victim.

The emergence of the scandal led News International to shut 168 year old News of the World on 7 July last year leading to a loss of 200 jobs.

For News Corp the implications of hacking scandal ran beyond News International as the move to up stake in UK broadcasting business BSkyB proved futile even after it got culture minister?s Jeremy Hunt to gobble up the remaining 61 per cent of Sky for ?8 billion.

Murdoch also denied the charge The Sun newspaper endorsed the Tories? election bid saying, "I would never have made that kind of a crass calculation," Murdoch said. "It just wouldn?t occur to me".

Rupert Murdoch, who is still chairman and chief executive of News International?s parent company News Corp, is scheduled to appear before the inquiry on Wednesday, AP reported.

Earlier, James Murdoch had to step down as the chairman of BSkyB, while continuing to remain on BSkyB?s board as a non-executive director. In February the Jr Murdoch stepped down as executive chairman of News International.

To firewall him from the likely impact of the scandal, News Corp had relocated him to New York headquarters as the deputy COO of the parent company.

Jr. Murdoch had last month further cut off all remaining ties with News International, the UK publishing business of News Corp, by resigning from the boards of Times Newspaper Holdings; News Corp Investments; and News International Publishers Limited.

The British media regulator Ofcom is already evaluating whether James Murdoch is ?fit and proper? to hold a broadcast licence on behalf of BSkyB. The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee?s report into allegations of phone hacking by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, in a related development the judge Brian Leveson said British Sky Broadcasting?s Sky News channel breached criminal law by hacking into e-mails for a story, even though the investigation applied to a case on a man who faked his own death to collect insurance money.

"What you were doing wasn?t just invading somebody?s privacy, it was breaching the criminal law," Leveson said during testimony by Sky News chief John Ryley. "At the end of the day you committed a crime."

Media regulator Ofcom said on Monday it started a probe of Sky News over the e-mail hacking incident.

BSkyB said earlier this month executives at Sky News cleared a reporter to access e-mails as part of his investigations into criminal activity, including the 2008 case of a British couple who faked the husband?s death in a canoe accident to collect life and mortgage insurance.

MUMBAI: News Corp-owned American television network Fox Broadcasting Network Sunday celebrated 25 years of its existence with a look back at the groundbreaking and irreverent shows that have defined the network since its first signal transmission on 5 April 1987.

Fox changed the American broadcasting landscape ever since it launched by keeping a check on its competitors with path breaking shows prominent among them being The Simpsons, 90210, and American Idol, which proved to be a great gamechanger.

In April 1985, Rupert Murdoch controlled News Corporation bought 50 per cent interest in Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation for $250 million, only to complete the acquisition later in the year by buying the remaining 50 per cent interest in company for $325 million.

The company followed that up with the acquisition of six Metromedia television stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Washington, for $1.9 billion which eventually led to the formation of the Fox Television Stations Group.

The acquisitions marked the beginning of News Corp?s foray in the American broadcast market which was till then dominated by American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

News Corporation and Fox Television Stations completed the acquisition of New World Communications Group for $2.3 billion in January 1997, making Fox the largest and most powerful station operator with 22 stations covering more than 40 per cent of the nation.

In 1999, Fox finished its first-ever broadcast season as the most popular network among Adults 18-34 and Teens, while also ranking second among its target audience of Adults 18-49 by the smallest margin in the network?s history.

According to Associated Press report, Fox proved that there was room for a fourth U.S. broadcast network, three decades after Dumont dissolved in 1955 and left the Big Three networks to slice up an increasingly rich pie.

Horizon Media SVP research Brad Adgate believes Fox hasn?t just met expectations it has exceeded them. "Of the major networks, it?s the only one that can bring in younger audiences on a regular basis," Adgate said. "They have brought out some breakthrough shows ... They?ve really done things that the other three networks wouldn?t have done with their programming," Adgate told AP.

Garth Ancier, Fox?s inaugural programming chief, said the challenge for the network was how to attract audiences in a different way from NBC, ABC and CBS and drag them over to an alternative.

MUMBAI: ESPN has appointed Arne Rees as vice president, international digital media as it seeks to expand the international reach of its digital media operations.

Rees will be based in New York and report to ESPN International EVP & MD Russell Wolff, and will oversee ESPN?s international digital growth and work with the company?s regional offices.

"Digital properties throughout ESPN?s international businesses continue to be a major priority and are key to our future growth. Our efforts online, with mobile devices and our vibrant broadband products all have significant momentum, and we will benefit from Arne?s digital, business development, and sports experience moving forward,"Wolff said in a statement.

Rees joined ESPN in 2006 as VP of international development, where he was involved in the development of its international broadband and wireless businesses. Most recently, he was VP, assistant to the president, working directly with George Bodenheimer, executive chairman of ESPN, Inc and former president of ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports.

Prior to ESPN, Rees spent five years as head of strategy and business development for the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa) in Nyon, Switzerland. He has also worked as an investment consultant at UBS Capital and as the director of business development for I-D Media.

MUMBAI: Own: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced a restructuring of its network operations in Los Angeles and New York. The organisation has eliminated 30 positions and redistributed those responsibilities among the network and venture partners, Discovery Communications and Harpo Studios. Thirty positions have been cut.

Own CEO, chief creative officer Oprah Winfrey said, "It is difficult to make tough business decisions that affect people?s lives but the
economics of a start-up cable network just don?t work with the cost structure that was in place. As CEO, I have a responsibility to chart the course for long-term success for the network. To wholly achieve that success, this was a necessary next step."

Winfrey became Own CEO, chief creative officer eight months ago, and tapped her Harpo leadership team, Erik Logan and Sheri Salata as presidents. The new management team has been reviewing the best structure and organisational design for the long term.

Logan said, "We have been on the air for 15 months, and since September we have gained momentum in ratings and viewership.
Restructuring our business will allow us to build a solid foundation for long-term growth."

As part of the restructuring, Neal Kirsch, a long-time Discovery executive and CFO of Discovery?s US networks, will be moving to Own as COO, CFO reporting directly to Logan and Salata. In addition, Own VP, business and legal affairs Tina Perry will now oversee the department and partner with Discovery executive VP, global production management, business and legal affairs Lee Bartlett.

Own VP, production Michelle Holt will now oversee production management; and Discovery senior VP, marketing, ad sales Ian Parmiter will oversee integrated marketing for Own.