 Logo used since 2021 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Sky Central,Osterley, London |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Comcast |
| Parent | Sky Group |
| Key people |
|
| Sister channels | List of Sky UK channels |
| History | |
| Launched | 5 February 1989; 36 years ago (1989-02-05) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | |
| Website | news.sky.com |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 233 |
| EE TV | Channel 233; Channel 313; Channel 385 (HD) |
| Saorview (Ireland) | Channel 23 |
| Streaming media | |
| Services (United States) | Samsung TV Plus,Pluto TV |
Sky News is a Britishfree-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned bySky Group, a division ofComcast. In 2024, Sky News was namedRoyal Television Society News Channel of the Year, the 17th time it has held the award and the channel's 7th consecutive win.[1] The channel and itslive streaming world news are available on its website, television platforms, and online platforms such as YouTube andApple TV, and variousmobile devices anddigital media players.
A sister channel,Sky News Arabia, is operated as a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation. A channel called Sky News International, simulcasting the UK channel directly but without British advertisements, is available in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Asia Pacific, Australia, and the Americas. Narrated segments (which generally cover lighter issues unrelated to current news stories) are played in lieu of advertisements, and international weather forecasts also are given at the end of each half-hour newswheel. Sponsored advertisements are still broadcast before and/or after the sports news and weather segments.Sky News Radio provides national and international news tocommercial radio andcommunity radio stations in the UK and other English-language stations around the world. Sky News also provides content toYahoo! News.
Sky News Australia was part-owned by Sky News parent Sky plc until December 2016. Sky News Australia and Sky News UK are presently unlinked, despite the similar names and logos.
On 8 June 1988,Rupert Murdoch announced in a speech to theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts plans to start a new television news service. Sky News started broadcasting at 6 pm on 5 February 1989.[2]
Visually Sky News looked very neat, with slick and classy presentation and John O'Loan's original vocation as an architect showing in the studio set. Sky had gone for the same format as theNine O'Clock News on theBBC, which had recently been redesigned to give the impression of activity and immediacy by placing the newsreader against a backdrop of the working newsroom. Sky News, it was universally agreed as staff nodded in vigorous approval, had succeeded rather better at the same thing. The critics were mildly taken aback. Contrary to some of the horror scenarios bandied about by the chattering classes there seemed to be little to grumble about. And as its slogan of 'We're there when you need us,' emphasised, it was always on.
In the early days, the channel operated on a £40 million budget (plus £10 million share of overheads), which ledSam Chisholm, chief executive of the newly merged BSkyB, to suggest to Murdoch that the station be closed, but Murdoch was "pleased with its achievements ... there were overriding reasons of prestige and politics for keeping it ... the final hurdle of the Broadcasting Bill had still to be overcome and the case for the acceptability of Sky would collapse if suddenly there was no news channel."[3] Former Home SecretaryWilliam Whitelaw said in the House of Lords in 1990 that Sky News had "a very high reputation ... I admire it, as do many other people, it will certainly waken up both the BBC and ITN and ensure that they compete with what is a very important news service"Hansard October 1990. The channel has never been run for a profit,[4] and has considered using ITN to supplement the service.[citation needed]
By March 1992, Sky News' parent company turned from loss to profit.[5] Sky News was the UK's first 24-hour news channel, broadcast onAstra 1A. It had no local competition until November 1997, whenBBC News launched a new 24-hour channel, BBC News 24, now known simply asBBC News. In September 1999, theEuropean Commission ruled against a Sky News complaint, which argued that the publicly funded BBC News 24 was unfair and illegal under EU law. The EC ruled that thetelevision licence feeshould be considered state aid (within the meaning of Article 87), but that the BBC's public service remit justified the channel.[6]
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In March 2000,Sky News Active, a 24-hour interactive service providing headlines and other services which ranged from weather, the top story of the day, and showbiz on demand, was launched.
Analogue broadcasting of the channel ceased on 30 June 2001.
In March 2004, Sky News was announced to have won a five-year contract to supply news bulletins toChannel 5, taking over fromITN in January 2005.[7]
On 24 October 2005, Sky News moved to new studios inIsleworth, Greater London, and underwent a major on-screen revamp. The new studio was integrated with the newsroom and boasted the biggest video wall in Britain; it was designed by New York architectsJanson Design Group.[8] New music was scored by Adelphoi Music and recorded with a full orchestra at Air Studios,Hampstead, and mastered at Metropolis Studios.[9] New on-screen graphics were launched and the channel began broadcasting inwidescreen (16:9) format.
The 2005 relaunch also had the introduction of a new schedule designed around "appointment to view" programmes rather than continuous rolling news.[8]James Rubin joined to present a new evening programme calledWorld News Tonight,Julie Etchingham presented another new "hard-hitting" evening show calledThe Sky Report,Eamonn Holmes joined to presentSunrise,Kay Burley presented a new programme calledLunchtime Live from 12 to 2 pm, and the daytime showSky News Today had the introduction of a three-presenter format. However, the relaunched schedule was unsuccessful, and from October 2005, the BBC News channel overtook Sky News in the ratings.
In response to the schedule's unpopularity with viewers, July 2006 saw the removal of the evening programmes—which were replaced by rolling news and an interactive programme,Sky News with Martin Stanford, and the return to a two-presenter format onSky News Today. These changes came with the arrival of John Ryley, who is still the head of Sky News. On 1 October 2007, Sky introduced another new schedule, extending Kay Burley'sLunchtime Live programme and renaming itAfternoon Live. It also switched to a new format for much of the day, with a solo lead presenter and a summary newsreader. Sky News put more emphasis on interactive news withMartin Stanford's newSkyNews.com programme; an early evening financial news programme presented byJeff Randall, was also introduced, initially on Mondays only. Further changes were made to the Sky News schedule on 8 September 2008, withColin Brazier presenting a new show from 1 – 2 pm,The Live Desk, and Martin Stanford'sSky.com News becameSkyNews.com, moving to 7 pm every weeknight. More changes took place during the early part of 2009. These changes involved major changes to the layout of the newsroom/studio, the introduction of a morning edition ofThe Live Desk and the extension of the financial news programmeJeff Randall Live to run for four nights each week, Monday to Thursday.
From 6 am to midnight on 8 March 2010, Sky News was presented and produced exclusively by women to markInternational Women's Day.[10] This exercise was repeated in 2011 and 2012.
In preparation for the start of high-definition broadcasting, Sky News moved to its second studio (Studio B) on the morning of 30 March 2010. Broadcasting from Studio B continued until 9 pm on 6 May, when it moved back to the main newsroom and launched Sky News HD in time for the2010 general election results. Sky News received a graphics refresh and a new logo to coincide with the launch of the new HD channel – this was tried out during the soft launch for Sky News HD on 22 April; Sky News' distinctive orchestral theme music, in use since 2005, was also updated on 6 May 2010. The new title music, orchestrated byDavid Arnold, was recorded with a 60-pieceRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra inAngel Recording Studios, London, and uses more than 132audio channels for 18 seconds of sound.[11]
Following the2015 general election, Sky News was rebranded, with a new top-of-the-hour sequence and on-screen graphics. The traditional opening voiceover, read by Bruce Hammal, was dropped after two decades in use. On 24 October 2016, Sky News began broadcasting from a new studio (Studio 21) at Sky Central, Sky's new headquarters in West London.[12] The "glass box" studio was initially used for broadcasts from 6 am to 6.30 pm each weekday (with the exception ofAll Out Politics, which comes from Sky's Westminster studio) - as of April 2019 it was only used from 11 am to 7 pm, and 9 pm to 12 am. The schedule was also changed.
In January 2017, Sky moved its business operations intothe News Building in central London.[13] On 16 January 2018, Sky moved all its news operations over to Studio 21, "the glass box", and a new studio inSky Studios.
On 9 December 2016, Sky shareholder21st Century Fox announced that it had made an offer to acquire the remainder of the company for £11.7 billion.[14][15] The combination of Sky with Fox's other assets led to concerns that theMurdoch family would attain "material influence over news providers with a significant presence across all key platforms" and "increased influence over the UK news agenda and the political process". Concerns were also raised about recentsexual harassment allegations centred upon Fox's U.S. networkFox News, although Ofcom did deem 21st Century Fox to be "fit and proper" to hold broadcast licences.[16][17][18] On 14 December 2017,The Walt Disney Company in turn announced its intent toacquire 21st Century Fox, following the divestiture of certain assets (particularly the U.S.Fox network proper). Analysts felt that would ease regulatory tensions surrounding the Fox purchase of Sky, as Sky was to be included in the purchase, and Disney's scope of media ownership in the UK was not as wide.[19]
In January 2018, theCompetition and Markets Authority issued a preliminary report recommending that Sky News be insulated from the remainder of Murdoch's assets, or divested, in order to preserve its editorial independence.[20] The following month, Fox proposed a commitment to funding Sky News for 10 years, and the establishment of an independent editorial board. The commitments would have been inherited by Disney if it completed its purchase.[21][22] On 3 April 2018, Fox stated that Disney had expressed interest in acquiring Sky News in a separate transaction, not dependent on the outcome of the Disney/Fox purchase.[23]
On 5 June 2018, the thenCulture SecretaryMatt Hancock cleared Fox's proposed deal, contingent on the divestiture of Sky News. It also cleared counteroffers for Sky that were being made in abidding war by U.S. telecoms and media conglomerateComcast.[24][25] Comcast made a US$65 billion counter-offer to acquire the 21st Century Fox assets being sold to Disney.[26] Fox rejected the offer, in favour of a higher-valued offer from Disney.[27] Comcast subsequently pursued a counter-offer for Sky only, resulting in thePanel on Takeovers and Mergers ordering that ablind auction be held between Comcast and Fox. On 22 September, Comcast was declared the winner of the auction,[28][29] resulting in Fox agreeing to sell its controlling stake in Sky to the company.[30][31]
The sale made Sky News a sister division toNBC News—a U.S.-based news operation owned by Comcast's U.S. media divisionNBCUniversal, its U.S. pay television news channelMSNBC, as well asEuronews—a pan-European news channel which NBCUniversal owned a stake in at the time of purchase.[32] Since the acquisition, NBC News has occasionally simulcast Sky News on MSNBC andNBC News Now to cover international breaking news, while the two divisions have collaborated on projects such as podcasts.[33] In April 2019, Comcast CEOBrian Roberts stated that the company was exploring the establishment of a "global" news channel as a joint venture between Sky News and NBC News.[32] In January 2020, it was stated that this new channel would also be carried on NBCUniversal's new U.S. streaming video platformPeacock.[34] In April 2020, it was stated that the launch of the service, by then known asNBC Sky World News, would be delayed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[35] On 20 April 2020, NBCUniversal sold its stake in Euronews to one of its existing shareholders, citing a desire to prioritise the NBC/Sky service instead.[36] The proposed service was scrapped in August 2020, resulting in layoffs of 60 employees.[37]
On 3 June 2021, Sky News updated its top-of-the-hour sequence, soundtrack, and on-screen graphics package. A Sky News source denied the move was related to the launch ofGB News.[38] On 9 February 2023,David Rhodes was appointed Executive Chairman of the Sky News Group in charge of all Sky's news operations. Jonathan Levy was appointed Managing Director and Executive Editor, Sky News UK.
On 19 July 2024, Sky News was taken offline by the2024 CrowdStrike incident, briefly making it unable to broadcast live.[39]
On 9 November Sky News released a video report on theNovember 2024 Amsterdam riots citing the fact that the violence was kickstarted by Israeli football fans chanting anti-Arab slurs and tearing down Palestinian flags from various properties. Shortly afterwards Sky News removed their coverage only to reupload an edited version seemingly removing culpability from the Israeli football fans for starting the violence, prompting outrage on social media.[40][41]
On 25 September 2025, ahead of the planned spin-off of most of NBCUniversal's cable networks into a new Comcast-controlled company called Versant,MSNBC announced a "multi-year" agreement to provide international newsgathering resources to the service after it separates from NBC News into an independent operation.[33]
Sky News isfree-to-air on theAstra 28.2°E satellites carryingSky. It is also available onFreeview and analogue and digital cable. In 2007, BSkyB announced its intention to cease broadcasting Sky News – as well as other BSkyB channels – over Freeview, pendingOfcom approval.[42][43]
In the 1990s, short-form news updates were broadcast between programs on other Sky networks, includingSky One,Sky Movies andThe Movie Channel.[44] Sky One also simulcast the 11PMSky World News Hour for a time in the early 1990s.
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Sky News is also available internationally on cable systems, on satellite, and in some hotels. While the UK feed is broadcast in 16:9, the international version remained broadcast in a 4:3 picture format until August 2010. Sky News broadcasts in Europe, Middle East, Africa.
The international version is shown as free-to-air onAstra 1L at 19.2° east. It is also carried encrypted on a number of satellites for international reception, includingHot Bird,Nilesat, Amos 1, andIntelsat 10-02. It is also usually carried on cable systems in Europe, particularly in Northern Europe, especially in the Scandinavian countries.
International viewers receive the same programming line-up of Sky News as the UK version. Brief news stories, entertainment news, worldwide weather forecast summaries, and the front pages of international newspapers are broadcast in lieu of UK commercials. The timepiece on the lower left side of the ticker is covered with a banner that says "skynews.com".
Sky News is not available onSky Deutschland, Sky plc's offering in Germany, but is available onSky Italia.
On 19 June 2013, Sky News International was added toApple TV for users in the UK, Ireland, and the United States. Viewers can watch clips or live streaming of the channel at no charge.[45] On 24 July 2013, it was added to theRoku streaming player. Sky News International is available on news.sky.com to viewers around the world. On 30 September 2014, Sky News beganlive streaming the channel on YouTube.[46] The free streaming servicePluto TV also offers a live feed of Sky News to American users on channel 135. Since its acquisition by Comcast, Sky News has been made available in the U.S. on thePeacock streaming service run by NBCUniversal, and simulcast on MSNBC[a] andNBC News Now[b] during breaking news events of major significance such as theRussian invasion of Ukraine, thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II, theWagner Group rebellion, and theGaza war.[47]
Sky News International and Sky News Ireland feeds are registered to broadcast within the European Union/EEA through ALIA in Luxembourg.[48][49]
In 2023 Sky News UK launched onBell Fibe in Canada, it was previously onVideotron,
Sky News Arabia, broadcasting in Arabic and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, launched in 2012. Sky plc owns 50% of the channel.[50]
Sky TG24, Italy's version of Sky News, launched in 2003.
Sky News Australia was one-third owned by Sky plc until December 2016, when it was acquired byNews Corp Australia.[51] It carries Sky News UK overnight and shares some of its presentational style. OnFoxtel in Australia, Sky News UK is available on channel 604.[52]
From 2004 to 2006,[53]Sky News Ireland broadcast two newscasts produced in Dublin. The newscasts were cancelled due to low viewership. Sky News in Ireland now carries the same programming as Sky News in the UK withlocal insertion of Irish-specific ads.
Until 2017, Sky News had a resource-sharing agreement withCBS News in the United States to share footage and reporting. In July 2017, in the wake of Sky's pending takeover by21st Century Fox (which runs the competing and formerde facto sisterFox News Channel in the U.S.), andNBC News acquiring a stake inEuronews, CBS ended the agreement and entered into a similar deal with the BBC.[54]
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Beginning in early 2008, Sky News began using HD-capable cameras in the field. Some one-off programmes were made available in HD toSky+ HD subscribers onSky On Demand. The programmes includedTechnofile,Diana: The Final Word,Canoe Man: Rise and Fall of John Darwin, andPathfinders: Into The Heart Of Afghanistan.
On 20 January 2009, before the launch of the Sky News HD channel,Sky Arts broadcast Sky News coverage in HD of theInauguration of Barack Obama.Jeremy Thompson fronted the coverage from Washington, D.C.Michael Jackson's memorial service was also broadcast in HD, with Kay Burley presenting.
Sky News moved operations to achroma-key set in Studio B from 30 March 2010, so final preparations for HD could take place in the main newsroom.[55]
The first live broadcast of Sky News HD, on Sky Channel 517, was the channel's election debate, which was held on 22 April 2010. For the 10 days leading up to the debate, channel 517 displayed a countdown clock to launch. The debate was hosted in HD byKay Burley andAdam Boulton. Following the end of the coverage for the evening, channel 517 moved to show a looping preview tape. The tape included the HD, which were available on Sky Anytime. The loop continued until Sky News HD was launched on the evening of 6 May 2010, coinciding with the coverage of the2010 general election results, hosted by Adam Boulton.
On 26 July 2010, Sky News HD launched on theOSN Network, broadcasting to the Middle East and Africa.[56]
On 1 January 2015, Sky News HD launched on Virgin Media.[citation needed]
Sky News Radio provides news bulletins to radio stations in the United Kingdom and to other English-language radio stations around the world.[57]
In March 2007, BSkyB andChrysalis Group announced plans to launch a dedicated Sky News Radio station on the proposed bid byChannel 4's4 Digital Group for the seconddigital audio broadcastingmultiplex in the United Kingdom.[58] However, two months later Chrysalis sold its radio stations toGlobal Radio,[59] and in October 2007 following a business review Global's chief executive announced that it would be withdrawing from the joint venture.[60]
The Sky News Radio feed is availablefree-to-air on the Astra 2A satellite at 28.2 East by tuning it manually: 12207.00 V, 27500, 2/3 (Label: SNR).[61]
On 5 February 2019, Sky News launched a pop-up channel called Sky News Raw.[62] It aired with behind-the-scenes programming from 07:00 to 17:00 on channel 523 on Sky TV and online via Sky News' social media channels. The pop-up channel celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sky News, having first broadcast on 5 February 1989.[63]
Robotic cameras were placed around the newsroom and planning rooms atSky Studios, in the three main television studios at Osterley and Millbank, and in thebroadcast galleries.[64] There were also behind-the-scenes features from elsewhere in the newsgathering operation, such as the Sky News helicopter andENG vehicles.[65]
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From 16 October to 1 November 2019, Sky News ran a pop-up channel calledSky News Brexit-Free. The channel aired on weekdays from 17:00 to 22:00 and carried coverage of other news headlines unrelated tothe United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. Sky News head John Ryley cited viewer fatigue over the near-constant coverage of Brexit as justification for the channel.[66][67]
The channel occasionally focuses on specific areas of society and current affairs. Past examples includeInside Iraq,Green Britain andCrime Uncovered.[68]
Pakistan: On Terror's Frontline was shown throughout the week beginning Monday 23 March 2009.[69] A Sky News press release stated:
Over three days, Sky News will explore why Pakistan has become the frontline of terror and ask what the West can do about it. Jeremy Thompson will present live from the capital Islamabad, interviewing key figures across the community.
The series of reports won a 2009 RTS Award for International News Coverage.[70]
Sky News operates underOfcom broadcasting regulations which require impartial, unbiased coverage and prevent the channel from being encrypted in the UK. The channel is viewed by some in the media establishment as an impartial and unbiased provider of news.[71]
There are sources stating[72][73][74][75][76] that Sky News may be inherently biased because throughout the 1990s and 2000s it was minority-owned and dominated by Rupert Murdoch's right-leaning News Corporation, and thereafter the Murdoch family's 21st Century Fox. Many News Corp subsidiaries, including News Corp UK & Ireland Ltd, the owner of theSun,Times andSunday Times newspapers, have an openlyconservative or right-wing outlook. In a 2010 article in theNew Statesman, prominent left wing progressive journalist and broadcasterMehdi Hasan argued that "in style and in substance, of course, it is nothing like the pro-war, pro-Republican, pro-Palin Fox News Channel... Sky News remains, as far as I can see, free of party political bias."[72] As of October 2018, Fox no longer has any stake in the broadcaster.[77]
Ofcom received complaints regarding the network's lack of neutrality ahead of the 2010 general election, but these were not upheld.[73][76]
In early 1994Kelvin MacKenzie, former editor ofThe Sun newspaper, was appointed managing director of BSkyB, Sky News's parent company at the time. MacKenzie's proposed changes to Sky News led to clashes with CEO Sam Chisholm and the head of Sky News, Ian Frykberg, who protested at what they saw as an attempt to take the channel's news valuesdownmarket. The most ferocious battle occurred when Mackenzie wanted Sky News to run an interview withLady Bienvenida Buck. Frykberg refused to air the interview and resigned shortly afterwards. The interview was broadcast onSky One.[78] MacKenzie announced his resignation in August 1994,[78] but not before Sky News had transmitted live pictures of the freeway chase ofO. J. Simpson's whiteBronco on 17 June 1994, bringing UShelicopter journalism to the UK.[79]
In 1997, Sky News broadcast live coverage ofLouise Woodward's trial, held inBoston, Massachusetts, US.[citation needed] Sky News broadcast reaction from Woodward's home town ofElton, Cheshire, leading to criticism that the station had a pro-Louise Woodward stance.[citation needed]
In November 2005 the then head of BBC News,Peter Horrocks, acknowledged that Sky News remained the first choice for "key opinion formers".[80]
Ofcom received 652 complaints regarding the network's neutrality after it hosted the second leaders' debate ahead of the2010 General Election.[73]
Ofcom received 832 complaints about a May 2010 interview with electoral reformist David Babbs conducted by Sky News presenterKay Burley. The interview led to Burley being heckled by protesters while reporting from Westminster, and further protest via a Twitter campaign.[81]
Ofcom received 696 complaints relating to Sky News's then political editorAdam Boulton's conduct during a May 2010 interview withAlastair Campbell.[82]
In 2014, Sky News journalistColin Brazier rifled through aMalaysia Airlines Flight 17 victim's possessions on live TV. He picked up objects and briefly described what he had before putting them down and saying "we shouldn't really be doing this I suppose, really". 110 complaints were submitted to Ofcom. Sky News stated both Brazier and Sky News "apologise profusely for any offence caused".[83]
Sky News was again embroiled in controversy in October 2014, when crime correspondentMartin Brunt and his camera crew doorstepped Brenda Leyland, who had posted controversial comments concerning theMcCann investigation on social media.[84][85] Following the confrontation Leyland was found dead in a hotel, leading to calls on social media for Brunt to be sacked.[86] During the inquest into Leyland's death, Brunt expressed to the coroner that he was devastated at hearing the news of Leyland's suicide. Following the inquest,Ofcom reported it had received 171 complaints in relation to the case and that it would consider these complaints in light of the coroner's verdict.[87]
In 2015, Kay Burley caused further controversy when, in response to theNovember 2015 Paris attacks, shetweeted a photograph of aGolden Retriever dog, to which she had added, "Sadness in his eyes #parisattacks".[88][89]
In February 2023, Sky News faced further criticism over its handling and reporting ofmissing person Nicola Bulley.[90]
In April 2003, Sky News carried a report from James Forlong aboard the British nuclearsubmarineHMSSplendid purportedly showing a live firing of a cruise missile during the Iraq war. The report was a fabrication, with the crew acting along for the benefit of the cameras. TheSky News team did not accompany the submarine when it left port and the scenes were recorded whilst the vessel was docked. The shot of the missile launch had been obtained from stock footage.
The faked report was revealed because another film crew did accompany the vessel to sea, and its footage showed that a modern missile is not launched by a crew member pressing a red button marked with the word "FIRE", as had been portrayed in the Sky News report, but is launched with a left mouse click. When the fabrication was exposed, Forlong and his producer were suspended. The next day,The Guardian reported that Forlong had resigned following an internal investigation.[91] In a follow-up article,The Guardian speculated on the long-term effects on Sky News credibility.[92] In October 2003, Forlong was found dead by his wife after committing suicide.[93] In December, Sky News was fined £50,000 by theIndependent Television Commission for breaching accuracy regulations.[94][95]
In August 2016 Sky News was criticised after allegedly paying €2,000 to a group of Romanians to pretend they were part of an eastern European gang selling guns to terrorists in Syria. The Romanians were arrested by RomanianDIICOT and confessed that they were paid by Sky News journalistStuart Ramsay to pretend they were gun traffickers. The guns featured in the report were legally owned and were hunting weapons.[96][97] Sky News has said it stands by the story.[98]
In November 2008 BSkyB paid substantial undisclosed libel damages toRobert Murat in relation to their reporting of the abduction ofMadeleine McCann. Sky News had falsely suggested that Murat, who was assisting in the search of McCann, had acted like child murdererIan Huntley following McCann's disappearance. Sky News also falsely accused Murat of misleading journalists into thinking he was working for the police. An apology was also placed on the Sky News website, the libellous material removed and Murat's costs were paid.[99]
In November 2010 theAttorney General for England and Wales,Dominic GrieveQC, was given the right to launchcontempt of court proceedings against Sky News over the broadcaster's alleged breach of a media injunction. It was in relation to the reporting of the story ofPaul and Rachel Chandler, a Kent couple who were held captive bySomali pirates for 13 months. The media was blocked from publishing details of the couple's "health and welfare" prior to their being freed on 14 November 2010. Sky claims that it "scrupulously observed the terms of the injunction", but also admitted that it "followed the spirit, if not the letter" of the order. At the time, lawyers representing the Chandlers obtained the court order over fears that their lives could be put in danger by the media reporting their capture. Sky News was alleged to have breached the injunction on the day of their release around from Somalia, leading the Attorney General to seek permission at theHigh Court to bring contempt proceedings.[100] The Attorney General dropped the case in January 2012; a spokesperson for his office said that continuing with proceedings would no longer be in the public interest.[101]
In March 2013 Sky News journalist Mark Stone and his camera operator were detained inTiananmen Square live on television, in what he described as a surreal but telling episode about reporting in China.[102] Viewers saw Stone being directed into a police van live from Beijing. A police officer was filmed asking the Sky team to switch off their camera, saying they were now inside theForbidden City and did not have permission to film there. While they had permission to film in the square, Stone said police told him the team were not displaying their passes correctly.[103]
Sky News wonBAFTA awards for coverage of the11 September 2001 attacks[104] and the 2002Soham murders.[105]
Sky News's coverage of the7 July 2005 London bombings won the 2006 International Emmy for Breaking News award. The coverage was commended as "fast and accurate".[106]
In June 2007, Sky News was named Best News Channel at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards. It beat several other national and international broadcasters, includingAl Jazeera English and theBBC.[107]
The channel won a BAFTA Award in the News Category on 10 May 2015, forAlex Crawford's coverage of the 2014 Ebola crisis.[108]
In 2018, Sky News was namedRoyal Television Society News Channel of the Year, the eleventh time the channel had won the award.[1][109][110]
Sky News won a BAFTA Award in the News Category on 13 May 2018 for "The Rohingya Crisis".[111] Special CorrespondentAlex Crawford, cameraman Martin Smith and producer Neville Lazarus travelled into Myanmar to bring a first-hand report of what was happening inRakhine State.[112] The same programme also won anInternational Emmy Award for News in October 2018.[113]
In November 2014, Sky News sponsored the Young Person in Business category of theNational Chamber Awards. It was won by Oliver Bryssau of Origin Broadband, which was named Business of the Year.
news.sky.com[114] is the channel's mainWeb site. It provides news, sport, weather, showbiz, and business stories.
In 2009, the Web site changed to bring it in line with the on-screen look of Sky News. The site made use ofFlash Video encoding to match the visual style of the TV channel with pictures andbreaking news. The site underwent a further refresh in 2012, when both the look of the pages and the content management system were updated.
In 2021, to bring the Web site in line with the new Sky News branding on-screen minor tweaks were made such as font updates and updated breaking news graphics.
On 1 March 2007, Sky's agreement to provide its basic channels (including Sky News) toVirgin Media expired.[115] At midnight, Sky News was removed and theEPG entry for the channel was changed to "Sky Snooze TryBBC" until SirRichard Branson demanded the message be removed,[116] saying: "I have asked them to take it down. We do not mean any disrespect to Sky News. I think it is a very good news channel."
Sky News, and the other Sky channels that had been removed, reappeared on Virgin Media on 13 November 2008.[citation needed]
The Daily Telegraph reported in November 2021, "Sky's top performing shows, includingTrevor Phillips on Sunday, average around 160,000 viewers".[117]
In the period from 22 November 2022 to 21 December 2022, Sky News averaged 52,230 each day for its prime-time audience (between 7pm and 11pm). Its all-day average was 53,350.[118]
As of 2018, Sky News had an estimated £90 million annual budget, employs about 500 staff, but it makes a loss of between £15 million and £20 million a year, according toThe Guardian.[119]
Sky News has bureaux across the world; some are operated in conjunction with other media outlets.
The 2018 International Emmy for News was presented tonight to Rohingya Crisis (Sky News, United Kingdom)
Media related toSky News at Wikimedia Commons
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