The British government toughened its stance on Rupert Murdoch`s $15 billion takeover of Sky, sending shares in the pay-TV group down sharply on fears it would take longer, and be more difficult, to complete.

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British Media Secretary Karen Bradley had already said it would ask the competition regulator, the CMA, to examine whether the deal would give Murdoch`s Twenty-First Century Fox too much control over the media.

On Tuesday she said she was minded to also ask for a six-month investigation into whether Fox would uphold broadcasting standards, following complaints over the management of Fox News in the United States.

Shares in Sky fell 4 percent on the unexpected twist.

"I have taken careful account of all relevant representations ... and have, today - as required by the legislation - written to the parties to inform them I am now minded-to-refer the merger to the CMA on the grounds of genuine commitment to broadcasting standards," she told parliament."

Fox, which already owns 39 percent of Sky, agreed a deal to buy the company in December last year.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)