Antitrust officials with the European Commission (EC) have approved unconditionally News Corp.’s proposal to acquire remaining shares of British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), concluding that the proposed US$12.1 billion transaction poses no significant competitive concerns. Tuesday’s decision leaves it to British telecom regulator Ofcom to decide whether an in-depth probe is warranted to assess the impact of the deal on the British media landscape. Announced last fall, the proposed transaction would give News Corp. control of the 60.9% stake in BSkyB it does not already own. Ofcom, which is already reviewing the extent to which the transaction would affect media diversity in the U.K. market, must report to Business Secretary Vince Cable by December 31 on whether the U.K. Competition Commission should proceed with a “full plurality” review. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the EC determined that News Corp’s proposed takeover of BSkyB would not “significantly impede effective competition” and that News Corp. “lacks sufficient market power” in the market for broadcast rights for premium movie content. With respect to the bundling of BSkyB satellite TV subscriptions with subscriptions to UK newspapers owned by News Corp., the EC further “excluded that competition concerns in the newspaper publishing sector would arise from the transaction.” The EC stipulated, however, that its conclusions on the competitive aspects of the deal are not prejudicial to the goal of the British government to “protect its legitimate interest in media plurality.” News Corp., which is seeking regulatory approval before it proceeds with a formal offer for the BSkyB assets, said it “welcomed” the EC action.