79-500: The League Leaders' Shield is a trophy awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League in the sport of rugby league football. This regular portion of the season precedes the playoffs for the eventual Super League Grand Final . The trophy was first awarded in Super League VII in 2002. St Helens won the first shield in 2002, and have since won the shield on a total of 9 occasions. Wigan Warriors become only
158-693: A libertarian , saying "What does libertarian mean? As much individual responsibility as possible, as little government as possible, as few rules as possible. But I'm not saying it should be taken to the absolute limit." In a speech he delivered in New York in 2005, Murdoch claimed that Blair described the BBC coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, which was critical of the Bush administration's response, as full of hatred of America. On 28 June 2006,
237-427: A Roman numeral rather than year (e.g. Super League 1996 was known as Super League I). The first game was on 29 March which saw PSG beat Sheffield 30–24 in front of 17,873 people at Charlety Stadium . The inaugural Super League title was won by St Helens, breaking Wigan's stronghold for the first time since 1989 while Workington were relegated. St Helens were unable to defend their title as Super League's second season
316-505: A club. After 2007 automatic promotion and relegation was suspended for Super League with new teams to be admitted on a licence basis with the term of the licence to start in 2009. The RFL stated that clubs applying to compete in Super League would be assessed by criteria in four areas (stadium facilities, finance and business performance, commercial and marketing and playing strength, including junior production and development) with
395-678: A convergence of interests between the two men over the muting of Britain's communications regulator Ofcom . In August 2008, Cameron accepted free flights to hold private talks and attend private parties with Murdoch on his yacht, the Rosehearty . Cameron declared in the Commons register of interests he accepted a private plane provided by Murdoch's son-in-law, public relations guru Matthew Freud ; Cameron did not reveal his talks with Murdoch. The gift of travel in Freud's Gulfstream IV private jet
474-511: A different position from local editors on such matters as climate change and stimulus packages to combat the financial crisis. Murdoch is a supporter of the formation of an Australian republic , having campaigned for such a change during the 1999 referendum . In 1968, Murdoch entered the British newspaper market with his acquisition of the populist News of the World , followed in 1969 with
553-404: A hundred years, proved unpopular. On Good Friday 1995 it was announced that Toulouse had pulled out and Widnes had their own place alongside Warrington, this as well as anti-merger campaigns and debates in parliament effectively killing any change of mergers happening. The first major change before the Super League happened in the 1994–95 season. It was decided the teams finishing in the top ten of
632-462: A place in Super League in 1999, which was won by St Helens who beat Bradford in the Grand Final. Gateshead had a successful debut season on the field finishing two points off the playoffs however off the field the club was suffering financial difficulties. By the end of the season Gateshead announced they would merge with Hull Sharks who were to revert to being known as Hull FC. Gateshead weren't
711-457: A place in the Super League, while those who achieved a C Licence underwent further scrutiny before the RFL decided who made the final cut. First licensing period In June 2008, the RFL confirmed that the Super League would be expanded from 12 teams to 14 in 2009 with the playoffs also expanding to 8 teams, and on 22 July 2008 the RFL confirmed the teams awarded licences. The teams announced were
790-476: A playoff would decide the Champions. This was not new to rugby league as a playoff system had been in use for most of the sports existence although one hadn't been used since 1973. Confusingly a playoff did take place at the end of the season but was separate from the official league season and thus didn't count towards anything. Old Trafford the venue for the old Premiership Playoff Final would be used to host
869-476: A radio station in a remote mining town, and chairman of the Herald and Weekly Times publishing company. Murdoch had three sisters: Helen (1929–2004), Anne (born 1935) and Janet (born 1939). His Scottish-born paternal grandfather, Patrick John Murdoch , was a Presbyterian minister . Murdoch attended Geelong Grammar School , where he was co-editor of the school's official journal The Corian and editor of
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#1732780956656948-559: Is an Australian-born American business magnate , investor, oligarch, and media proprietor. Through his company News Corp , he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including in the UK ( The Sun and The Times ), in Australia ( The Daily Telegraph , Herald Sun , and The Australian ), in the US ( The Wall Street Journal and
1027-678: Is the top-level of the British rugby league system . At present the league consists of twelve teams, of which eleven are from Northern England , reflecting the sport's geographic heartland within the UK and one from southern France . The Super League began in 1996, replacing the existing First Division and, significantly, switching from a traditional winter season to a summer season. The regular season typically runs from February to September with each team playing 27 games; 11 home games, 11 away games, Magic Weekend and an additional 4 'loop fixtures' decided by league positions. The top six then enter
1106-527: The New York Post ), book publisher HarperCollins , and the television broadcasting channels Sky News Australia and Fox News (through the Fox Corporation ). He was also the owner of Sky (until 2018), 21st Century Fox ( until 2019 ), and the now-defunct News of the World . With a net worth of US$ 21.7 billion as of 2 March 2022, Murdoch is the 31st richest person in
1185-459: The 1992 general election , which had been expected to end in a hung parliament or a narrow win for Labour, then led by Neil Kinnock . In the general elections of 1997 , 2001 and 2005 , Murdoch's papers were either neutral or supported Labour under Tony Blair . The Labour Party, from when Blair became leader in 1994, had moved from the centre-left to a more centrist position on many economic issues before 1997. Murdoch identifies himself as
1264-515: The micropayments model for obtaining revenue from online news, although this has been criticised by some. In January 2018, the CMA blocked Murdoch from taking over the remaining 61% of BSkyB he did not already own, over fear of market dominance that could potentialise censorship of the media. His bid for BSkyB was later approved by the CMA as long as he sold Sky News to The Walt Disney Company , which
1343-474: The papers . It'll be the journalists who decide that – the editors." Murdoch described Howard's successor, Labor Party Prime Minister Kevin Rudd , as "more ambitious to lead the world [in tackling climate change] than to lead Australia" and criticised Rudd's expansionary fiscal policies in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 as unnecessary. In 2009, in response to accusations by Rudd that News Limited
1422-727: The play-off series leading to the Grand Final which determines the champions. As of 2024 there is no relegation to the Championship . The Super League champions take on the champions of the Australian National Rugby League in the World Club Challenge . Twenty-four clubs have competed since the inception of the Super League since 1996: nineteen from England, three from France, one from Wales and one from Canada. Four of them have won
1501-479: The 12 existing Super League teams along with National League 1 teams, Celtic Crusaders and Salford . Celtic Crusaders became the first Welsh team to play in Super League and the only team to be awarded a licence who had never played in the Super League previously. Featherstone Rovers , Halifax , Leigh and Widnes all failed to attain a licence. Leigh and Widnes, especially, were disappointed with their exclusions with Leigh's chairman being extremely critical of
1580-465: The 12 founding teams being: Along with the new league, new rules were introduced. Squad numbers were adopted, a video referee was at every televised game and the salary cap was introduced to stop clubs overspending and to allow for a more level playing field. Super League was also more Americanised with clubs adopting nicknames and the league seasons copying the NFL Super Bowl by being known as
1659-473: The 1980s, Murdoch formed a close alliance with Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher . In February 1981, when Murdoch, already owner of The Sun and The News of the World , sought to buy The Times and The Sunday Times , Thatcher's government let his bid pass without referring it to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission , which was usual practice at the time. Although contact between
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#17327809566561738-499: The 2nd team (along with St Helens), to retain the shield. From 1907 until 1973 the Championship was awarded to the team winning a top-four play-off (excluding the 2 seasons 1962–63 and 1963–64, when the championship was awarded to the top-placed team). From 1907 to 1962 no prize was awarded to the team finishing top. From 1965 to 1973 a 'League Leaders' Trophy' was introduced to reward the team finishing top. In 1996, Super League
1817-523: The 32-year-old Murdoch was ultimately successful. Later in 1964, Murdoch launched The Australian , Australia's first national daily newspaper, which was based first in Canberra and later in Sydney. In 1972, Murdoch acquired the Sydney morning tabloid The Daily Telegraph from Australian media mogul Sir Frank Packer , who later regretted selling it to him. In 1984, Murdoch was appointed Companion of
1896-774: The BBC reported that Murdoch and News Corporation were considering backing new Conservative leader David Cameron at the next General Election – still up to four years away. In a later interview in July 2006, when he was asked what he thought of the Conservative leader, Murdoch replied "Not much". In a 2009 blog, it was suggested that in the aftermath of the News of the World phone hacking scandal , which might yet have transatlantic implications, Murdoch and News Corporation might have decided to back Cameron. Despite this, there had already been
1975-460: The British broadcaster BSkyB in 1990 and, during the 1990s, expanded into Asian networks and South American television. By 2000, Murdoch's News Corporation owned more than 800 companies in more than 50 countries, with a net worth of more than $ 5 billion. In July 2011, Murdoch faced allegations that his companies, including the News of the World , owned by News Corporation, had been regularly hacking
2054-704: The First Division as Lindsay wanted the Super League to have greater national coverage. This resulted in a legal challenge from Keighley and Widnes who were both denied a place in the Super League. The 1995–96 season would be the last to be played in winter and fittingly was the sports centenary year. The season was kept short, starting in August and finishing in January, with the 1995 World Cup taking place in October. Super League finally kicked off in 1996 with
2133-593: The First Division would be in the Super League. Teams finishing 11–15 would be relegated to the Second Division while the bottom team would be relegated to the new Third Division. In the current Second Division the top seven teams would remain while the rest would make up the Third Division. Controversy occurred at the end of 1994–95 when Keighley won the Second Division but were denied promotion due to fourth placed London Broncos being fast tracked to
2212-539: The French leagues was also planned to be invited but the French government refused their backing unless there was a team from Paris, thus Paris Saint-Germain were founded as the second French club playing under the same name and colours as the association football club. As well as two French clubs being involved, several merges between English clubs were put forward: The proposal to merge neighbouring clubs, many of whom were local rivals and had been part of communities for
2291-635: The Future". Lindsay's Super League was given a boost during the mid 90s Australian Super League war . A Rupert Murdoch backed Super League in Australia was trying to gain broadcasting supremacy over the Australian Rugby League . In an attempt to gain the upper hand, Murdoch, whose broadcasting company bSkyb already had the rights to the First Division , approached the RFL. A £77 million offer and an £87 million payment aided
2370-598: The Order of Australia (AC) for services to publishing. After the Keating government relaxed media ownership laws, in 1986 Murdoch launched a takeover bid for The Herald and Weekly Times , which was the largest newspaper publisher in Australia. There was a three-way takeover battle between Murdoch, Fairfax and Robert Holmes à Court , with Murdoch succeeding after agreeing to some divestments. In 1999, Murdoch significantly expanded his music holdings in Australia by acquiring
2449-869: The People's Republic of China, and public ownership of Australia's oil, gas and mineral resources. Rupert Murdoch's backing of Whitlam turned out to be brief. Murdoch had already started his short-lived National Star newspaper in America, and was seeking to strengthen his political contacts there. Asked about the 2007 Australian federal election at News Corporation's annual general meeting in New York on 19 October 2007, its chairman Rupert Murdoch said: "I am not commenting on anything to do with Australian politics . I'm sorry. I always get into trouble when I do that." Pressed as to whether he believed Prime Minister John Howard should continue as prime minister, he said: "I have nothing further to say. I'm sorry. Read our editorials in
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2528-797: The Qualifiers. The following year Hull KR were relegated when they lost to Salford in the Million Pound Game, with Leigh being promoted. 2017 saw Castleford finish top of the league for the first time in their history although they eventually lost the Grand Final to Leeds who claimed their 8th title. Rupert Murdoch Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Keith Rupert Murdoch AC KCSG ( / ˈ m ɜːr d ɒ k / MUR -dok ; born 11 March 1931)
2607-574: The RFL. By the end of the 2008 season, Salford and Celtic Crusaders finished 13th and 14th respectively and the Grand Final was won by the League Leaders, Leeds Rhinos for a fourth time. The following season Crusaders made the playoffs but were knocked out in the first round. League Leaders Wigan won the Grand Final. By 2011 the Crusaders were suffering financial difficulties and entered administration and were deducted four points. Salford on
2686-592: The Shay, it's no contest; if you compare playing records, it's no contest; and if you compare the financial position, we have kept our head above water and they haven't." Wakefield had been favourites to lose their licence before Crusaders' withdrawal. After two licensing periods the system started to fall out of favour. Some highlighted clubs such as Wakefield and Castleford which had failed to build new stadiums but were twice awarded licenses over Championship clubs who many thought would be better suited to Super League. There
2765-506: The UK, US, and Australia. As of September 2024 , the Murdoch family is involved in a court case in the US in which his three children Elisabeth , Prudence , and James are challenging their father's bid to amend the family trust to ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan , retains control of News Corp and Fox Corp, rather than the trust benefiting all of his six children, as is specified in its "irrevocable" terms. Keith Rupert Murdoch
2844-554: The UK. Murdoch has a seat on the Strategic Advisory Board of Genie Oil and Gas , having jointly invested with Lord Rothschild in a 5.5% stake in the company which conducted shale gas and oil exploration in Colorado , Mongolia , Israel , and the occupied Golan Heights . In response to print media's decline and the increasing influence of online journalism during the 2000s, Murdoch proclaimed his support of
2923-530: The United States and the 71st richest in the world according to Forbes magazine. After his father Keith Murdoch died in 1952, Murdoch took over the running of The News , a small Adelaide newspaper owned by his father. In the 1950s and 1960s, Murdoch acquired a number of newspapers in Australia and New Zealand before expanding into the United Kingdom in 1969, taking over the News of
3002-527: The United States. The greater degree of automation led to significant reductions in the number of employees involved in the printing process. In England, the move roused the anger of the print unions, resulting in a long and often violent dispute that played out in Wapping , one of London's docklands areas, where Murdoch had installed the very latest electronic newspaper purpose-built publishing facility in an old warehouse. The bitter Wapping dispute started with
3081-765: The World , followed closely by The Sun . In 1974, Murdoch moved to New York City, to expand into the US market; however, he retained interests in Australia and the UK. In 1981, Murdoch bought The Times , his first British broadsheet , and, in 1985, became a naturalized US citizen, giving up his Australian citizenship, to satisfy the legal requirement for US television network ownership. In 1986, keen to adopt newer electronic publishing technologies, Murdoch consolidated his UK printing operations in London, causing bitter industrial disputes. His holding company News Corporation acquired Twentieth Century Fox (1985), HarperCollins (1989), and The Wall Street Journal (2007). Murdoch formed
3160-400: The conclusion of their regular league seasons, the 24 clubs then competed in a play-off series where they split into 3 leagues of 8 based upon league position: Funding for clubs was tiered in both leagues to prevent relegation-related financial difficulties. In preparation for the new structure, two clubs would be relegated from Super League in 2014 to reduce the league to 12. By the end of
3239-640: The controlling share in a leading Australian independent label, Michael Gudinski 's Mushroom Records ; he merged that with Festival Records , and the result was Festival Mushroom Records (FMR). Both Festival and FMR were managed by Murdoch's son James Murdoch for several years. Murdoch found a political ally in Sir John McEwen , leader of the Australian Country Party (now known as the National Party of Australia ), who
League Leaders' Shield - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-529: The decision. It was agreed a 14 team Super League would take place in 1996, switching the sport from winter to summer and making every team full time. As part of the agreement, the Super League would be a European competition. Rugby league held a traditional heartland in the South of France and so Toulouse Olympique were invited (however never ended up taking a place in Super League I). A second club from
3397-531: The dismissal of 6,000 employees who had gone on strike and resulted in street battles and demonstrations. Many on the political left in Britain alleged the collusion of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government with Murdoch in the Wapping affair, as a way of damaging the British trade union movement . In 1987, the dismissed workers accepted a settlement of £60 million. In 1998, Murdoch made an attempt to buy
3476-459: The final evaluations and decisions being taken by the RFL board of directors. Successful applicants were licensed for three years of Super League competition and three-yearly reviews of Super League membership took place to ensure ambitious clubs lower down the leagues can still be successful. Points attained by each club's application are translated into licence grades A, B or C. Clubs who achieved an A or B Licence would be automatically awarded
3555-514: The first three years. Their inclusion in Super League meant two clubs would be relegated in 2005. Bottom team Leigh were relegated with 11th placed Widnes. By the mid-2000s standards on the field had improved and attendances increased but many clubs still played out of crumbling stadiums and most of the sport was still played in the North of England. There was also the emergence of the "Big Four" (Bradford, Leeds, Wigan, and St Helens) who were dominating
3634-464: The first-ever outright majority in the proportionally elected Scottish Parliament. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official spokesman said in November 2009 that Brown and Murdoch "were in regular communication" and that "there is nothing unusual in the prime minister talking to Rupert Murdoch". In 1986, Murdoch introduced electronic production processes to his newspapers in Australia, Britain and
3713-517: The football club Manchester United F.C. , with an offer of £625 million, but this failed. It was the largest amount ever offered for a sports club. It was blocked by the United Kingdom's Competition Commission , which stated that the acquisition would have "hurt competition in the broadcast industry and the quality of British football". Murdoch's British-based satellite network, Sky Television , incurred massive losses in its early years of operation. As with many of his other business interests, Sky
3792-450: The league during its first 10 seasons. Announced in May 2005, to try and combat the issues facing Super League, the RFL introduced licences as the new determinant of the Super League competition's participants from 2009 with relegation scrapped, two new teams would expand the league to 14. The licences were awarded after consideration of more factors than simply the on-the-field performance of
3871-776: The life governor of the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne and established the Murdoch Children's Research Institute ; at the age of 102 (in 2011), she had 74 descendants. While his father was alive, he worked part-time at the Melbourne Herald and was groomed by his father to take over the family business. After his father's death, Rupert began working as a sub-editor with the Daily Express for two years. Following his father's death, when he
3950-401: The new Grand Final in which the top five Super League teams would contest. The first Grand Final took place at Old Trafford in front of a sellout crowd of 40,000 who watched Wigan defeat Leeds 12–8, their first league title since the old First Division. Ahead of the expansion to 14 clubs Wakefield Trinity were promoted from the Second Division and a new club, Gateshead Thunder were awarded
4029-408: The on-field criteria needed to submit an application, but despite this only Barrow, Halifax and Widnes decided to submit an application. On 31 March 2011 Widnes were awarded a Super League licence; Barrow did not meet the criteria and were refused a licence; and Halifax's application was to be further considered alongside the other Super League clubs. The Rugby Football League 's final decision
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#17327809566564108-408: The only club struggling, Sheffield announced they could no longer continue and merged with Huddersfield and would be known as Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants. Due to these two clubs resigning from the league it was agreed Super League would revert to 12 teams after just one season. Relegation was reintroduced in 2001 with one team going down each year. The only major change to the league was in 2002 when
4187-428: The other hand despite never making the playoffs in the three years since they were promoted were in a much better financial position. During this period the league was dominated by Leeds and St Helens with Leeds winning three titles and St Helens appearing in every Grand Final. Second licensing period For the 2012–14 seasons Championship sides Batley , Barrow , Featherstone Rovers , Halifax and Widnes all met
4266-711: The papers around. Harold Evans , editor of the Sunday Times from 1967, was switched to the daily Times , though he stayed only a year amid editorial conflict with Murdoch. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Murdoch's publications were generally supportive of Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . At the end of the Thatcher / Major era, Murdoch switched his support to the Labour Party and its leader, Tony Blair . The closeness of his relationship with Blair and their secret meetings to discuss national policies
4345-621: The phones of celebrities, royalty, and public citizens. Murdoch faced police and government investigations into bribery and corruption by the British government and FBI investigations in the US. On 21 July 2012, Murdoch resigned as a director of News International . In September 2023, Murdoch announced he would be stepping down as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp. Many of Murdoch's papers and television channels have been accused of biased and misleading coverage to support his business interests and political allies, and some have linked his influence with major political developments in
4424-499: The playoffs were expanded to six teams. The League Leaders Shield was introduced in 2002 to reward the team who finished top at the end of the regular season. In 2005 it was announced a franchise was to be awarded to a French club, with Toulouse , Villeneuve and Catalans Dragons all applying. In the end Catalans, who were only founded in 2000 after a merger between two Perpignan based clubs, were chosen. Their debut season would be in 2006 and they would be exempt from relegation for
4503-671: The purchase of a controlling interest in the New Zealand daily The Dominion . In January 1964, while touring New Zealand with friends in a rented Morris Minor after sailing across the Tasman, Murdoch read of a takeover bid for the Wellington paper by the British-based Canadian newspaper magnate Lord Thomson of Fleet . On the spur of the moment, he launched a counter-bid. A four-way battle for control ensued in which
4582-414: The purchase of the struggling daily The Sun from IPC . Murdoch turned The Sun into a tabloid format and reduced costs by using the same printing press for both newspapers. On acquiring it, he appointed Albert 'Larry' Lamb as editor and – Lamb recalled later – told him: "I want a tearaway paper with lots of tits in it". In 1997 The Sun attracted 10 million daily readers. In 1981, Murdoch acquired
4661-503: The season London Broncos and four-time Champions Bradford Bulls were relegated to the Championship. In June 2015 eight of the 12 Super League clubs voted to allow a Marquee Player that could exceed a club's salary cap as long as they could afford their wages. The marquee player rule came into force for the 2016 Super League season. The first Super 8s season was won by the Leeds Rhinos, with all four Super League clubs surviving
4740-478: The short lived World Club Series . 2015 also saw the prize money increase from £50,000 to £100,000. In 2016, the League Leaders were awarded medals for the first time. (C) - Team also won the Grand Final to be crowned champions. Super League The Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred , and legally known as Super League Europe Ltd. )
4819-405: The struggling Times and Sunday Times from Canadian newspaper publisher Lord Thomson of Fleet . Ownership of The Times came to him through his relationship with Lord Thomson, who had grown tired of losing money on it as a result of an extended period of industrial action that stopped publication. In the light of success and expansion at The Sun the owners believed that Murdoch could turn
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#17327809566564898-688: The student journal If Revived . Murdoch studied philosophy, politics and economics at Worcester College, Oxford , in England, where he kept a bust of Lenin in his rooms and came to be known as "Red Rupert". He was a member of the Oxford University Labour Party , stood for secretary of the Labour Club and managed Oxford Student Publications Limited , the publishing house of Cherwell . After his father's death from cancer in 1952, his mother did charity work as
4977-442: The title: St Helens (10), Leeds Rhinos (8), Wigan Warriors (7) and Bradford Bulls (4). During the 1950s, British rugby league experienced a boom in popularity. However the twenty years that followed saw attendances and popularity decline. A "Super League" was first suggested as far back as the 1970s as a way to address the decline. By the early 1990s the sport was still struggling with dwindling attendances, poor facilities and
5056-708: The troubled Sunday Times in Perth , Western Australia (1956) and over the next few years acquiring suburban and provincial newspapers in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory , including the Sydney afternoon tabloid The Daily Mirror (1960). The Economist describes Murdoch as "inventing the modern tabloid", as he developed a pattern for his newspapers, increasing sports and scandal coverage and adopting eye-catching headlines. Murdoch's first foray outside Australia involved
5135-459: The two before this point had been explicitly denied in an official history of The Times , documents found in Thatcher's archives in 2012 revealed a secret meeting had taken place a month before in which Murdoch briefed Thatcher on his plans for the paper, such as taking on trade unions. The Sun credited itself with helping her successor John Major to win an unexpected election victory in
5214-523: The way for the stronger Australian Labor Party to dominate Australian politics. It was the beginning of a long campaign that served McEwen well. After McEwen and Menzies retired, Murdoch threw his growing power behind the Australian Labor Party under the leadership of Gough Whitlam and duly saw it elected on a social platform that included universal free health care, free education for all Australians to tertiary level, recognition of
5293-400: Was 21, Murdoch returned from Oxford to take charge of what was left of the family business. After liquidation of his father's Herald stake to pay taxes, what was left was News Limited , which had been established in 1923. Rupert Murdoch turned its Adelaide newspaper, The News , its main asset, into a major success. He began to direct his attention to acquisition and expansion, buying
5372-666: Was already set to acquire 21st Century Fox. However, it was Comcast who won control of BSkyB in a blind auction ordered by the CMA. Murdoch ultimately sold his 39% of BSkyB to Comcast. News Corporation has subsidiaries in the Bahamas , the Cayman Islands , the Channel Islands and the Virgin Islands . From 1986, News Corporation's annual tax bill averaged around seven percent of its profits. In Britain, in
5451-405: Was also announced ahead of the 1998 season that there would be no relegation as the league planned to expand to 14 teams from 1999. Following PSG folding, and as a result only English teams being present in the competition, the league was not referred to as a European competition from then on out and acted solely as the top tier of the British rugby league system . The other major change was that
5530-471: Was also unrest in the Championship with clubs feeling their success on the pitch should be rewarded. At the 2013 Annual General Meeting in Bradford , the Super League clubs agreed to reduce the number of clubs to 12 from 2015, and also for a return of promotion and relegation with a 12 club Championship . A radical new league structure was proposed. The 12 Super League and 12 Championship clubs would play each other home and away over 22 rounds. Following
5609-452: Was announced on 26 July 2011, Widnes would join thirteen existing Super League teams with Crusaders having withdrawn their application and Halifax being refused a license. Crusaders CEO Rod Findlay stated that the club's finances were not in a good enough condition to justify their place in Super League. Halifax chairman Mark Steele was critical of the decision to award Wakefield a licence over themselves, saying "If you compare Belle Vue with
5688-510: Was born on 11 March 1931 in Melbourne , Victoria , the second of four children of Sir Keith Murdoch (1885–1952) and Dame Elisabeth ( née Greene ; 1909–2012). He is of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. His parents were also born in Melbourne. His father was a war correspondent and later a regional newspaper magnate, owning two newspapers in Adelaide , South Australia, and
5767-591: Was dominated by one club, Wigan , who were the only full time professional team. In 1992, the then Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League , Maurice Lindsay reopened the idea for a Super League. He wanted the new league to break the stereotype of rugby league being a sport only played in Northern England, and had a vision for clubs to play out of new facilities under a set of minimum standards in an unpublished document called "Framing
5846-401: Was formed but continued to use the league to decide the champions until 1998, when they adopted a play-off structure for the championship. Between 1998 and 2001 no trophy was awarded for coming top of the league in the regular season, and it would not be until the 2002 season when the League Leaders' Shield was first awarded. From 2015 to 2017, League Leaders' Shield winners would participate in
5925-456: Was governing in coalition with the larger Menzies-Holt-Gorton Liberal Party . From the first issue of The Australian, Murdoch began taking McEwen's side in every issue that divided the long-serving coalition partners. ( The Australian , 15 July 1964, first edition, front page: "Strain in Cabinet, Liberal-CP row flares.") It was an issue that threatened to split the coalition government and open
6004-416: Was heavily subsidised by the profits generated by his other holdings, but convinced rival satellite operator British Satellite Broadcasting to accept a merger on his terms in 1990. The merged company, BSkyB , has dominated the British pay-TV market ever since, pursuing direct to home (DTH) satellite broadcasting. By 1996, BSkyB had more than 3.6 million subscribers, triple the number of cable customers in
6083-706: Was running vendettas against him and his government, Murdoch opined that Rudd was "oversensitive". Although News Limited's interests are extensive, also including the Daily Telegraph , the Courier-Mail and the Adelaide Advertiser , it was suggested by the commentator Mungo MacCallum in The Monthly that "the anti-Rudd push, if coordinated at all, was almost certainly locally driven" as opposed to being directed by Murdoch, who also took
6162-636: Was to become a political issue in Britain. This later changed, with The Sun , in its English editions, publicly renouncing the ruling Labour government and lending its support to David Cameron 's Conservative Party , which soon afterwards formed a coalition government. In Scotland, where the Conservatives had suffered a complete annihilation in 1997, the paper began to endorse the Scottish National Party (though not yet its flagship policy of independence), which soon after came to form
6241-516: Was won by the Bradford Bulls with London Broncos justifying the decision to be fast tracked into Super League by finishing second. Oldham were relegated and PSG, who had finished 11th for the second consecutive time were dissolved after it was discovered some of their overseas players had tourist visas to avoid paying French tax. Due to Oldham being relegated and PSG folding, two teams, Hull Sharks and Huddersfield Giants , were promoted. It
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