<p><br /> Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has accepted News Corp's plans to spin off Sky News in an effort to address concerns over its planned takeover of BSkyB.<br /> </p><p><br /> The move brings Rupert Murdoch's News Corp a huge step closer towards securing his prized £10 billion buyout of BSkyB.<br /> </p><p><br /> It will allow the company to avoid a prolonged investigation and start negotiating the terms of the deal.<br /> </p><p><br /> In return for clearance, News Corp will spin off the loss-making but influential Sky News channel and guarantee its future by giving it a ten-year carriage deal on the Sky TV platform, and a seven-year agreement to use the Sky name.<br /> </p><p><br /> The buyout has blown up into a far wider debate over Murdoch's media control in Britain.<br /> </p><p><br /> An alliance of media groups opposed to the buyout dismissed Murdoch's solution to competition concerns as a "whitewash".<br /> </p><p><br /> Murdoch owns a third of the British newspaper market including The Sun and The Times.<br /> </p><p><br /> Competition lawyers said Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt had played a very clever hand which would suit News Corp and be tough to challenge as the Sky News ownership remained unchanged.<br /> </p>
