Murdoch--Malone Deal Reportedly in "Decisive Stage" (LINTA, NWS)

A week ago, we reported on the continuing saga between Rupert Murdoch and John Malone and the need for a split between the two (Malone owns a stake in Murdoch's News Corp. (NWS). Here's an update.

The Financial Times reported late last night that Rupert Murdoch's negotiations with John Malone over Liberty Media's (LINTA) stake in News Corp. are reaching a "decisive stage":

US regulators are set to approve a long-standing request for ownership changes to News Corp television stations that could pave the way towards fresh talks between the media moguls.

This bit you'll find further down the article:

“We have had discussions with News Corp about them selling an asset to Liberty [in exchange for News Corp shares], which is more attractive for Liberty following the recent rise in News Corp’s share price,” Greg Maffei, chief executive of Liberty Media, told the Financial Times. “There are no guarantees a deal will get done this time, but there appears to be a confluence of events which could make it happen.”

Let's hope so.

NWS 1-yr chart: