Britain likely to refer Murdoch's bid for Sky for full investigation

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it intended to refer Rupert Murdoch's takeover of Sky to a full investigation after its regulators said the deal raised concerns about the amount of influence the media mogul would wield over the country's media.

"On the basis of (regulator) Ofcom's assessment I confirm that I am minded to refer to a Phase 2 investigation on the grounds of media plurality," Media Secretary Karen Bradley told lawmakers.

"The reasoning and evidence on which Ofcom's recommendation is based are persuasive - the proposed entity would have the third largest total reach of any news provider, lower only than the BBC and ITN and would uniquely span news coverage on television, radio, in newspapers and online."

Shares in Sky rose after the statement and were trading up 3 percent at 986 pence at 1110 GMT.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle and Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)