Rupert Murdoch seeks permission to merge UK's Times and Sunday Times

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's London-based The Times and Sunday Times have asked the British government for permission to share resources across both titles, a move that is barred under rules imposed when the media mogul bought both newspapers in 1981.

(Reuters)

John Witherow, editor of The Times, said the cost pressures facing the newspaper industry meant the titles needed to manage their newsrooms as carefully as possible.

"We need to stay competitive in an increasingly difficult market so that we can continue to build a sustainable future for Times journalism," he said in a statement on Friday.

The Departure for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said it would publish an invitation to comment later on Friday.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle)