As part of his strategy for acquiring Hughes Electronics' DirecTV -- or Hughes itself -- Rupert Murdoch is preparing to sell his stake in competitor EchoStar, which operates the DISH network, for $300 million, the Dow Jones News Service reported today (Tuesday). Peter Shorthouse, an analyst with ABN AMRO based in Sydney, told the wire service: "If they are going to have any sort of relationship with DirecTV, they are really not going be allowed by regulators to have stakes in both players."

Source: Studio Briefing