Rupert Murdoch has resigned as a director of companies that own the British newspaper The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times, local media reported on Saturday.

Murdoch stepped down from the boards of the News International Group, Times Newspaper Holdings and News Corp Investments in Britain last week, the Telegraph reported quoting companies House filings.

He also quit a number of News Corp's U.S. boards, but the details of which have not been disclosed.

News Corp played down the significance of the resignations as "nothing more than a corporate housecleaning exercise prior to the company split."

The plan was announced on June 28, which would see News Corp split into two firms, separating its newspaper and book publishing interests from its now dominant TV and film enterprises. Murdoch is expected to chair both businesses but to be chief executive only of the TV and film side.