James Murdoch resigned as chairman of British pay-TV giant BSkyB Tuesday, saying he did not want it to become a "lightning rod" for the hacking scandal at his father Rupert's media empire. The post was the last major role held in Britain by James Murdoch, who has faced growing pressure over what he knew about the illegal accessing of voicemails at the now-closed News of the World newspaper.
The satellite broadcaster, which is 39 percent owned by Rupert Murdoch's US-based News Corp, announced that James would be replaced by deputy chairman Nicholas Ferguson. He will stay on as a non-executive director of BSkyB, the company added. "I am aware that my role as chairman could become a lightning rod for BSkyB and I believe that my resignation will help to ensure that there is no false conflation with events at a separate organisation," James Murdoch said in his resignation letter to the board.
"As attention continues to be paid to past events at News International, I am determined that the interests of BSkyB should not be undermined by matters outside the scope of this company," he said. It is the second high-profile position relinquished by Rupert Murdoch's youngest son and one-time heir apparent in the past two months as the family struggles to contain the damage from the phone-hacking row. The 39-year-old resigned as executive chairman of News International, the News Corp unit which published the News of the World, on February 29. He remains deputy chief operating officer of News Corp, with a focus on television operations.