Investors have flocked to buy News Corp's 44 per cent stake in Sky Network Television in what a broking source said was the biggest block trade on the NZX in a decade.

Shares in Sky TV will resume trading on the NZX this morning, after the company said News Corp had successfully sold its 43.6pc stake in the company.

Rupert Murdoch's sell-down of his 43.6 per cent share of Sky TV leaves local management with greater influence over the pay television operator.

Editorial: It may be no coincidence that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp put its Sky Television stake on sale yesterday just as the Government was preparing to float shares in Mighty River Power.

Rupert Murdoch's selling out of Sky Television comes at to the end of a long golden period for the business, writes John Drinnan.

News Corp has confirmed it is selling out of New Zealand's Sky TV, netting $815m for its nearly 44 per cent stake in the country's dominant pay TV operator.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is understood to be selling out of New Zealand's Sky Television, and shares are expected to go on a trading halt this morning.

For the second year in a row more non-subscribers had a "strong" interest in taking up Sky.

Sky Network Television has reported a 9 per cent gain in first-half profit as subscribers migrated to its My Sky premium service and spent more.

Sky television received dozens of complaints from viewers demanding refunds, angry that the fight finished two rounds earlier than expected.

A former critic of Sky TV says his new public-service channel Face TV would not be going to air without the help of the pay television operator.

Sky's cricket commentators have been told they must be nice to the Black Caps and are not to regurgitate their off-field dramas.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully appoints political lobbyist, and old friend, to board of Antarctic New Zealand.

An outsider tuning in to the Valerie Adams medal ceremony could be excused for thinking Adams came from the small Pacific nation of "ANZ Bank".

Former Kiwi Paralympic athletes have slammed the television coverage of the London Games as the "worst it has ever been".