A shareholder-led revolt to dump Rupert Murdoch as chairman of his new TV and film conglomerate 21st Century Fox has failed, but the mogul's sons Lachlan and James suffered ego-bruising protest votes.
Murdoch will retain the chairman and chief executive roles at 21st Century Fox, which includes the Fox TV network, the 20th Century Fox film studio and other jewels of his global media empire.
His sons will also sit on the 12-member board.
But the shareholder vote at the company's annual general meeting in Los Angeles on Friday showed plenty of dissatisfaction with Lachlan, 42, and James, 40.
Lachlan received the lowest total vote of all board members, with 384 million votes supporting his place on the board and almost 126 million opposed.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
James, who faced plenty of heat following the UK phone hacking scandal, had 411 million votes in favour of a board seat and almost 100 million against.
The numbers were significant considering the Murdoch family controls 39 per cent of the vote.
Shareholders easily voted 82-year-old Murdoch on the board, supporting him with 436 million votes and 46 million against.
There was less support for Murdoch to hold the chairman and chief executive roles.
A group of disgruntled shareholders, led by "faith-based socially-responsible" Christian Brothers Investment Services, put forward a proposal that the chairman be independent.
The proposal was unsuccessful, with 362 million votes against and 147 million for.
"Appointing an independent chair would give shareholders more comfort that real oversight of the executive team is being exercised," Tim Shayer, an investment adviser for Christian Brothers, told the AGM.
21st Century Fox board member Viet Dinh, speaking on behalf of the board, said the combined chairman-CEO role "ensures strong and consistent leadership of the company".
Murdoch's News Corp empire was split into two companies earlier this year, with 21st Century Fox holding its vast TV and film assets.
The new News Corp is largely comprised of Australian, UK and US newspapers.
