Jeff Zucker’s Deal to Get Back Into the Media Biz Is Being Eyeballed by the UK

Former CNN President Jeff Zucker is running into some hurdles as he tries to gain a new foothold in the media business.

The UK government announced Thursday it will open a review of the pending deal that would put Zucker and his investment firm in control of The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator, two influential British publications.

This announcement comes as Zucker, now CEO of investment group RedBird IMI, tries to alleviate concerns regarding a $1 billion investment by the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) that would help acquire the news organizations, a prospect that is raising questions about possible foreign influence on the outlets, according to multiple publications.

The review by the Competition and Markets Authority, which is slated to be completed by end of January, could delay the deal several months. Even if regulators decide to allow the purchase to go through, the pause could still give opponents like Rupert Murdoch - who had reportedly expressed interest in buying the outlets himself - time to build further opposition to the deal, according to The New York Times.

In a statement to The Messenger, RedBird IMI said it welcomes the opportunity to provide information to the government and will continue to cooperate with regulators.

"RedBird IMI remains entirely committed to maintaining the existing editorial team of the Telegraph and Spectator publications and believes that editorial independence for these titles is essential to protecting their reputation and credibility,” a spokesperson said.

Zucker launched RedBird IMI last year as a joint venture between RedBird Capital, an American private equity firm, and International Media Investments, an Abu Dhabi-based investment fund, to invest and acquire "media, entertainment and sports content properties." Emirati royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan is a major backer of International Media Investments.

Zucker, in an interview with the Telegraph, tried to address worries about the deal. He said that while he understood why people had questions, he called the concerns "misplaced." He went on to state that he would resign if there was "even the suggestion of interference" from his Emirati backers.

"Nothing is more important to me than editorial independence," Zucker said, adding that "the editorial independence of The Telegraph is guaranteed."