Changes which have seen Lachlan Murdoch become co-chairman of News Corp set the scene for Siobahn McKenna's new role as News Corp Australia's head of broadcasting, insiders say.

The announcement last week of her appointment as group director sees McKenna leave the board of Australia's Ten Network, and signals a change of emphasis for Rupert Murdoch's newsmedia operation in the country.

This move brings part and fully-owned interests in Foxtel - half-owned with Telstra - Fox Sports, Sky News and Ten (13 per cent) into a new broadcasting division, along with the Multi Channel Network sales subsidiary.

News bought out SkyNews partners Seven and Nine last December - interests which has remained within its Australian subsidiary - and has already started recruiting on-air talent for the channel. Sky News is also reported to have been investing heavily in technology.

In the UK, Sky UK (formerly BSkyB) and the Fox Network in the US were moved to 21^st Century Fox as part of the 2013 separation of News Corp.

Now there's speculation that a more comment-based format will bring it more in line with its US stablemate, as the company prepares - and positions itself for possible changes in Australia's 30-year-old media laws which currently exclude News from free-to-air broadcasting.