Rupert Murdoch will have to wait a few more days to see if he can finally gain full control of satellite broadcaster Sky PLC (LON:SKY).
Culture secretary Karen Bradley today received reports from both UK telecoms regulator Ofcom and the Competition Authorities on whether the deal was in the public interest and if the directors of bidder 21st Century Fox are fit and proper persons to be UK broadcasters.
She said her decision will be announced to parliament by Thursday next week, though even after that the parties involved will be able to make further representations.
READ: Ofcom to report back on £11.7bn 21st Century-Sky deal on Tuesday
Concerns have been voiced widely that as the Murdoch family controls News Corporation - the owner of The Sun, The Times and the Sunday Times - as well as Fox, they would have too large a share of the UK news market with Sky.
Fox has argued that new media such as Google, Facebook and Twitter have reduced dramatically the influence of newspapers on public thinking.
Some analysts and commentators think Sky's falling share price is strong evidence that the takeover is in doubt, especially with the election result might delay proceedings.
“Had the Conservatives won a large majority, we think it would have been more straightforward to approve the deal relatively quickly,” wrote UBS analyst Polo Tang in a note to clients.
“With the Conservatives remaining the largest party, we still see scope for the deal to be approved but the risks around an extended review have increased.”