"News Corp. continues to believe that, taking into account the only relevant legal test, its proposed acquisition will not lead to there being insufficient plurality in news provision in the U.K.," the company said.

'Blagging'

Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, competes with News Corp. units in providing financial news and information.

News Corp. may also face questions over other U.K. businesses, said Laura Martin, an analyst at Needham & Co. in Los Angeles. The company, which also publishes the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times, said yesterday it will investigate whether its journalists broke the law to obtain the bank, medical and legal records of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The Guardian reported that both the Sunday Times and the Sun obtained files using techniques known as "blagging," where people impersonate someone over the phone in order to access private information. The Sun obtained details of the private medical files of Brown's son Fraser, while someone working for the Sunday Times acquired Brown's legal records and tried to gain access to bank statements, the Guardian said.

Out Of The U.K.?

"We note the allegations made today concerning the reporting of matters relating to Gordon Brown," News Corp.'s News International unit said in an e-mailed statement. "So that we can investigate these matters further, we ask that all information concerning these allegations is provided to us."

If the scandal spills over to other News Corp. newspapers, the company may decide to sell the business, said Martin.

"The stock price is implying that News Corp. is going to have to get out of the U.K.," she said in an interview.

News Corp. may also face legal expenses related to the phone-hacking charges. Amalgamated Bank of New York filed an amended complaint against the company that was made public yesterday.