Berlusconi/Murdoch: Battle of the tycoons

Pier Silvio, son of Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and vice-chairman of Mediaset, says Italy’s top commercial broadcaster is not “at war” with Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Italia. Not officially. But rhetorical skirmishes and provocative scheduling decisions tell a different story, as the rival media tycoons seek to position themselves for Italy’s digital television revolution. Unusually, it is Berlusconi’s Mediaset that is now looking vulnerable. When Murdoch launched Sky Italia five years ago, he ...