After weeks of rumors, the board for British Sky Broadcasting made it official late Monday: James Murdoch, son of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, was named chief executive officer of the U.K./Ireland satellite TV service.
He replaces outgoing Chief Executive Tony Ball.
The company said James Murdoch was appointed following the unanimous recommendation of a four-member nomination committee of non-executive board members. Directors affiliated with News Corp. voluntarily decided not to vote, BSkyB said, and independent non-executive directors unanimously endorsed James' recommendation from the nomination committee.
Due to the appointment, James Murdoch will resign from the boards of both News Corp. and NDS Group immediately.
News Corp. has a controlling stake in BSkyB, which serves more than 7 million customers. News Corp. is working to take a controlling stake in DirecTV and Hughes in the United States.
Also, BSkyB invited Lord Jacob Rothschild to join its board and fill the new role of non-executive deputy chairman, a position he accepted, the company said.
