Nostalgia channel Jones! starts soon in a move by Sky Television to discourage subscribers from opting out of the basic package.

Manu "The Beast" Vatuvei proved to be a big hit with a group of youngsters at Robertson Road School, in Mangere.

He's lived long, and he's certainly looking prosperous.

I hear two hedge funds - Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) - looked at taking over Rupert Murdoch's 43 per cent stake in Sky Television, but talks failed over the price.

Sky TV negotiators were this morning still in talks for rights with the NRL body - on the eve of the 2013 league season kickoff.

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.

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.

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.

Peter Jackson is said to be enthusiastic about monitoring off-set conditions for animals used in film productions, writes John Drinnan.

Rugby fans are still in danger of missing out on seeing the All Blacks play Italy next weekend, which would be the first time in years an ABs match hasn't been screened live.