Advertisement

James Murdoch: how he came back from the phone-hacking scandal

James Murdoch
James Murdoch has said of the phone-hacking fallout: ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Photograph: David Moir/Reuters

James Murdoch’s career appeared to be on the line in 2012 when Ofcom, the media watchdog, concluded he “repeatedly fell short of the conduct to be expected of him as a chief executive officer and chairman”.

This damning verdict was delivered as part of the regulator’s investigation into whether Sky was “fit and proper” to hold a broadcasting licence in light of the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World, which was owned by the Murdochs’ News International.

James Murdoch had already stood down as chairman of Sky when Ofcom published its report, but the regulator’s harsh words were a severe blow to his reputation. He has spent the last five years trying to rebuild his standing from the US.

James, the younger of Rupert Murdoch’s two sons, was not exactly cast into the wilderness in 2012 after stepping down from Sky and as executive chairman of News International. He kept a seat on the board of Sky as a non-executive director and retained his title as deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation, the parent company of News International and the owner of a 39% stake in Sky.

But his comeback from the phone-hacking scandal really started when he was promoted to co-chief operating officer of 21st Century Fox in 2014. He had previously been the deputy chief operating officer and head of international.

Now based in New York, Murdoch Jr had played a key role in splitting the family’s news and entertainment businesses into two separate companies, News Corp and 21st Century Fox. But his promotion was a clear signal that Rupert Murdoch was handing more control of his empire to his sons, Lachlan and James. James’s return was sealed when he was named chief executive of Fox in 2015, just three years after he quit his role at Sky.

Now one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, James insists he has learned from the phone-hacking scandal. “Every professional experience you learn a lot from,” he said in 2015. “You learn about yourself, you learn about the company, you learn about people’s interests around the place. In a situation like that, you learn a lot about politics. It was a very intense period, but you know, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

James was named chief executive of British Sky Broadcasting in 2003, at the age of 30, when Rupert was still chairman. Despite claims of nepotism at the time, his four years as Sky’s boss are now widely regarded as successful.

Despite the hacking scandal, Ofcom’s comments and his past status as a rebel of the family, he has always been backed by his father. “He completely changed BSkyB and lifted the bar there in every way – and added huge value to News Corp,” Rupert has said.

James was controversially reappointed as chairman of Sky last year, meaning his journey since 2012 has come full circle. If 21st Century Fox seals its takeover of Sky then James Murdoch will play a vital role in its future and a new chapter will begin in his eventful career.