Beijing sinks Murdoch's joint venture

After a series of recent crack downs to limit foreign influence in politically sensitive TV programming, China's regulators axed a joint venture between Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and the Qinghai Satellite TV station that had operated for six months, bringing Channel V and Star Sports to 100 million people in the provinces of Qinghai, Liaoning and Xinjiang as well as Chongqing and Beijing municipalities, AFP reported. It allegedly violated regulations by broadcasting before winning approval from top authorities. News Corp retains its licence to operate in Guangdong province and in exclusive mainland hotels.