Whereas Rupert Murdoch has separated his film and TV interests from his news outlets, Mr Ma is busy adding news businesses to his media empire. Alibaba has invested in a number of mainland publications, including the respected China Business News. Now it is in talks to buy the South China Morning Post, a 112-year-old English-language daily in Hong Kong. The paper, once owned by Mr Murdoch, is controlled by Robert Kuok, a Chinese-Malaysian billionaire who has been hugely successful doing business on the mainland.
