The Battle for Sky, The Murdochs, Disney, Comcast and the Future of Entertainment, pub May 2019, by Christopher Williams, reviewed

By @SimonCocking, review of The Battle for Sky The Murdochs, Disney, Comcast and the Future of Entertainment, by Christopher Williams. Hardback 9781472964908: £25 | Ebook 9781472964953: £21. Available from Amazon here.

The story of how Sky became one of Britain’s most successful companies and the hottest property in global entertainment. From perilous early years through clashes with the BBC and BT, not to mention the News Corporation bid for full control that failed in the wake of 2010’s phone hacking scandal, there has been no shortage of drama in Sky’s history – nor in its likely future.

In 2018, the organization was the target of bids from two true titans of the global media industry – Disney and Comcast – with a dramatic bidding war waged for ultimate ownership. Throw in an industry already shaken by the arrival of newer media players such as Netflix, the declining circulation of Murdoch newspapers such as The Sun and The Times, as well as the UK government’s scrutiny of the Murdoch family’s influence on UK media, and the scene was set for a major corporate battle of a size rarely seen on the global business stage.

But how exactly did Comcast win in the battle for shareholder votes? How will
the Murdoch empire fare when the dust finally settles? And what does it mean now for the future of entertainment in a streaming, downloadable and digital world?
Featuring interviews with key individuals and stakeholders from around the
world, The Battle for Sky offers a timely and intriguing glimpse into the
workings of media empires, and a gripping account of one of the largest
corporate battles in recent years.

From perilous early years through clashes with the BBC and BT, not to mention the News Corporation bid for full control that failed in the wake of 2010’s phone hacking scandal, there has been no shortage of drama in Sky’s history–nor in its likely future. The organization is now the target of bids from two true titans of the global media industry–Disney and Comcast–who are fighting it out for ultimate ownership.

Throw in an industry already shaken by the arrival of newer media players such as Netflix, the declining circulation of Murdoch newspapers such as The Sun and The Times, as well as the UK government’s scrutiny of the Murdoch family’s influence on UK media, and the scene is set for a major corporate battle.

The Battle for Sky, by Christopher Williams, reviewed

This book aims to cover a lot, and the subtitle promises some real insights and an interesting topic to discuss. At the same time not having direct interviews and access with the key protagonists is a limiting element too. Naturally the Murdochs probably want to have a carefully managed public persona, and Rupert is perhaps too old to be interested and his sons too busy to want to be involved. Another challenge is that all other sources are also only willing to be quoted anonymously, which again does reduce the impact of their quotes and comments.

The chapter headings are quite sensationalistic, at times it felt like you were reading a low end hacked together sport biography about Wayne Rooney or whoever the latest premiership sensation is. Naturally with Sky so heavily involved in the stratospheric upward rise of the English premiership, maybe this style was intentional. There is a lot about the intricacies of Sky’s various attempts to gain subscribers, and on some of James Murdoch’s more garish moments of rudeness to his staff. However it never really felt like you got beneath the skin of how Sky has been reported via other media outlets, and those rare moments where they did speak in public.

The Murdochs, Disney, Comcast and the Future of Entertainment

Towards the later half of the book, when we move away from the rather dully described day to day machinations within Sky, it gets a bit better as it looks at the rise of HBO, Netflix, and other FANG companies, and what this meant to Sky and their business model. This discussion of the future of entertainment is really what will be the most interesting thing to watch over the next three to five years. As Disney look to become a channel in their own right to challenge Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Apple and anyone else looking to move into this space.

The sale of Sky in many ways marked a passing of the guard as Murdoch senior finally recognised the limitations of being in his mid 80s. How will his offspring do? Maybe OK, but usually the sons of dynamic innovators and empire builders often share DNA but little more.

Depending on your area of interest this book may be more or less relevant for you. Moving forwards Sky certainly created a legacy of massive growth for the English premiership. With massive amounts of money, for better and worse, coming into the English game. What the future holds for Sky maybe less certain, especially now that it is part of another massive global media entity.

Christopher Williams is The Telegraph’s Deputy Business Editor, with a focus
on M&A, business politics and the media industry, a role he’s filled for the
past seven years. Prior to that, he has covered tech, media and telecoms for
a number of publications (including in California) – notably freelance projects
for the Sunday Times, The Economist and the Guardian. Born and raised in
Sheffield, he is based in London.

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