Rupert Murdoch seeking to add to Turkish investments

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss investing more in Turkey. AA photo

Australian-American media tycoon Rupert Murdoch expressed an interest in increasing his investments in Turkey at a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on March 6, a Turkish official said according to the Associated Press.

The meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara was closed to the news media and lasted over an hour. Murdoch requested the prime minister’s support for expanding investments in Turkey, and presented him with a special edition of “The Empty Quarter,” a book by Harry St John Bridger Philby, also known as Sheikh Abdullah, daily Hürriyet reported.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said Murdoch told Erdoğan he regarded the Turkish media as an “important sector” for investments, the Associated Press said. The official would not say whether Murdoch expressed an interest in acquiring any specific television or newspaper.

The two media outlets belong to Çalık Holding, owned by a businessman close to Erdoğan and run by the prime minister’s son-in-law. Çalık recently put ATV and Sabah up for sale.
Murdoch currently owns Turkish broadcaster Fox TV.

Bidding deadline

The deadline for bids in the sales of the media assets of the Turkuvaz Media Group, a subsidiary of Çalık Holding, is March 21, said a source familiar with the matter, according to Reuters. ATV television channel and daily Sabah, which had been put up for sale together, may now be sold separately, and Murdoch’s News Corp, Time Warner and Abraaj Capital are interested in acquiring them, Reuters reported. “The seller seeks a strategic partner, thus the bidders should offer a very high price to be appealing,” said the source. Çalık did not comment on the subject, Reuters said.