The Government has extended the deadline to review 21st Century Fox's £11.7 billion takeover bid for Sky by more than a month in light of the looming general election.
While the deal has already been given the green light by EU regulators, Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and communication watchdog Ofcom have yet to complete their own investigations.
Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Karen Bradley confirmed on Friday that she has extended their deadline by nearly a month to account for the snap election which was announced by Theresa May earlier this week.
"Given the proximity of this decision to the forthcoming general election and following discussions with the parties, Ofcom, the CMA and the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics team I wrote to Ofcom and the CMA on Friday 21 April to extend the period by which these reports should be submitted to Tuesday 20 June," Ms Bradley said.
The previous deadline was set for May 16.
Once the CMA and Ofcom reports have been received, the Culture Secretary will have 10 working days to decide whether to approve the deal or ask for a more in-depth report.
The new timeline means that Sky's fortunes could be decided as early as July 4.
Fox is aiming to seize control of the 61% of Sky it does not already own and the bid comes five years after Rupert Murdoch's last tilt at taking the business over through News Corporation.
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