Comcast and 21st Century Fox have been cleared to purchase U.K. satellite giant Sky, leaving the fate of the rival offers in the hands of Sky shareholders.

Matt Hancock, the British culture secretary, told Parliament Tuesday he has approved Fox’s bid to acquire the 61 percent of Sky it doesn’t already own, on the condition it divests Sky News to another buyer, like Disney, writes Michelle Caffrey at bizjournals.com.

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At the same time, Hancock confirmed his preliminary assessment that Comcast is also permitted to acquire Sky. The Philadelphia company has proposed an offer of £12.5, equivalent to about $16.70 a share, 16 percent higher than Fox’s offer of £10.75, or $14.36 per share.

The unfolding of the Sky deal is happening at the same time Comcast is also setting the stage for a battle with Disney over Fox assets including its film and TV studios, cable channels, regional sports network and 30 percent stake in Hulu.

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