Murdoch to air keynote speech at capital's TV festival

Published on Monday 20 April 2009 22:08

ONE of Britain's leading media moguls is to give the keynote speech at this year's Edinburgh International Television Festival.

James Murdoch, chairman of BSkyB, will follow in the footsteps of his father Rupert 20 years after the tycoon delivered a famous MacTaggart Lecture in the capital.

Mr Murdoch jnr is seen as the heir apparent to his father's vast media empire.

He heads the European and Asia operations of News Corp, which is the largest shareholder of BSkyB.

He took up his current role in late 2007 after four years as chief executive of BSkyB.

More than 2,000 industry figures are expected to descend on Edinburgh for the annual three-day festival in August.

Rupert Murdoch used his speech in 1989 to condemn the "narrow elite" of British broadcasting.

Mr Murdoch jnr said yesterday: "I am honoured to have been invited to deliver the MacTaggart this year.

"Our industry is so clearly at a turning point that now is a good time to consider the right way forward for the industry, for regulators and, most importantly, for our customers."

Previous MacTaggart speakers have included scriptwriter Dennis Potter, journalist Janet Street-Porter, CNN mogul Ted Turner, Big Brother producer Peter Bazalgette, Today programme presenter John Humphrys and BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman.

Mr Murdoch jnr will be speaking on the opening day of this year's festival on 28 August.

Presenters Jamie Oliver, Gok Wan, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan were among the special guests at last year's festival.