LONDON (AP) — Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has resigned from a number of News Corp. subsidiary boards in Britain and the United States, a spokeswoman confirmed Saturday.

Murdoch stepped down as a director of NI Group, Times Newspaper Holdings and News Corp. Investments in the U.K., said Daisy Dunlop, who speaks on behalf of News Corp.'s British arm, News International.

"This is nothing more than a corporate housecleaning exercise prior to the company split," a News International statement said.

The statement was referring to News Corp.'s announcement in late June that the giant would separate its publishing and media and entertainment businesses into two distinct, publicly traded companies.