Murdoch 'must talk' on hacking

A judge hearing claims of industrial espionage against a News Corp company says Rupert Murdoch could lose the case unless he testifies, according to a US report.

ABC News says it has a transcript of a hearing in chambers in the case.

"There is a real risk" of losing the jury trial if Murdoch does not take the stand and "briefly say, 'I didn't do it', and 'I didn't know about it'," District Judge David Carter said.

News Corp unit NDS is accused of hiring hackers to steal and post data that allowed free access to DISH Network's satellite television service. News Corp owns rival satellite provider DirecTV.

News Corp has denied wrongdoing and says Murdoch knew about the alleged hacking in the 1990s.

Carter said the case could result in a damages claim of "hundreds of millions or perhaps billions". The lawsuit was brought by EchoStar Communications, which later split into EchoStar and DISH, against NDS and NDS America, which provide security for a network that includes satellite TV service DirecTV.

Murdoch told ABC he "absolutely" denied the News Corp unit was involved in hacking. "We always have ethical business practices," he said.