Since 2004 the Chairman of News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, has been in negotiations over buying back a 20% voting stake in his company from John Malone, the Chairman of Liberty Media. Malone originally boosted his stake in the media giant News Corp. when the company moved its home to the USA.CNBC has quoted unidentified sources who say the negotiations are now focused on DirecTV. They say News Corp. could relinquish its 38 percent controlling stake in DirecTV in return for Malone's stake in News Corp.
News Corp's stake in DirecTV is worth $9 billion. Neither News Corp. nor Liberty Media had any comment on the recent negotiations, although Malone and analysts have said the discussion is centered on tax issues.
