After four years on the sidelines, James Murdoch is returning to the job of chairman of European broadcast giant Sky.
The company announced Friday that Murdoch will succeed the current chairman, Nicholas Ferguson, when he steps down in April.
One of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's sons, James Murdoch held the chairman job from 2007 to 2012 at Sky, which was previously known as BSkyB.
He stepped down amid the massive phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World, a British tabloid newspaper that was part of the Murdoch empire.
James Murdoch had also been in charge of the company that published the News of the World, but he consistently denied knowledge of the scale of the phone-hacking practices at the paper, which involved systematic illegal eavesdropping on crime victims, politicians, celebrities and veterans.
Related: Rupert Murdoch turns over Fox to his sons
When he stepped down from Sky, he said he was doing so to shield the broadcaster from the scandal. He has remained on the company's board as a non-executive director.
After weathering the phone-hacking storm, James Murdoch's star has once again risen. Last year, he replaced his father as CEO of 21st Century Fox, the largest shareholder in Sky.
Rupert Murdoch is now co-executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, a position he shares with his other son, Lachlan.
Sky has 21 million customers across five European markets: Italy, Germany, Austria, the U.K. and Ireland.
