Revelations that US-based Fox News renewed O'Reilly's contract after he settled a sexual harassment lawsuit for $32 million came just a month after Britain's culture secretary asked competition regulators to review the takeover.
Karen Bradley said one of the reasons for her decision was that Fox News' handling of a broader sexual harassment scandal raised concerns about corporate governance at Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox.
Soon after The New York Times broke the story about O'Reilly's contract renewal, a senior member of Britain's opposition Labour Party said he planned to ask the regulator to reject the takeover.