BSkyB Board Is Said to Keep James Murdoch as Chairman

James Murdoch won unanimous backing from British Sky Broadcasting’s board for his role as chairman despite the phone hacking scandal that has roiled the News Corporation, his family’s media empire.

The board of British Sky Broadcasting, a satellite television company known as BSkyB, discussed Murdoch’s role “at length” and decided he should keep the job, said a person with direct knowledge of the decision. The board planned to closely monitor developments linked to the phone hacking scandal, said the person, who declined to be identified because the meeting was private. It was the first time BSkyB’s 14-member board had met since a public and political outcry over phone hacking at The News of the World, the now shuttered tabloid, forced the News Corporation, the global media company controlled by Murdoch’s father, Rupert Murdoch, to withdraw its offer for the rest of BSkyB. The News Corporation owns a 39 percent stake in BSkyB.