Australian News Channel and WIN partner to bring Sky News to free-to-air for first time
Sky News will be available on free-to-air television for the first time in its history, following a deal between Australian News Channel and WIN Corporation. The pair will launch a new channel across 29 regional markets called Sky News on WIN.
The exact details of what will be broadcast are still being hashed out, but the new channel will be an amalgamation of a range of content from the Sky News and Fox Sports News portfolio, as well as WIN’s regional news programming.
Big boost for WIN All Australian News, which can actually function as a proper national affairs bulletin now that they can get stories from Sky’s metro bureaus.
I wonder if this move will make CBS/TEN a little nervous about whether or not they’ll have a regional affiliation partner when the current agreement with WIN ends in a few years. I wouldn’t put it past Bruce to be plotting revenge against CBS for scuttling the joint Murdoch/Gordon takeover of TEN. Could he be testing the waters with this Sky News deal with a view to broadening it to include Foxtel Original Australian entertainment programming down the track? They’ve already demonstrated they’re happy to drop some Ten programming for content sourced independently and the threat to program WIN completely independent of a metro partner has loomed in the past.
I’m sure Foxtel would be happy to use WIN as a promotional vehicle for subscription television by providing them with a mix of content that has already aired on their service. It wouldn’t be beyond WIN to start producing some first run Australian content geared towards it’s regional audience with the money saved by not fully aligning themselves with a metro broadcaster.
The money would certainly not be saved relative to not using Ten’s programming. Regional affiliates have to pay for the full metro feed whether they use all of it it or insert their own content.
But wouldn’t WIN still be required to affiliate with a metropolitan network under the affiliation rules? Or is it all on Ten to find a new partner?
On another note, I’m guessing hypothetically that in monopoly and two-network JV markets, the missing network (Ten or WIN depending on location) would be added as a “digital-only” JV channel to comply with the rules? And the eastern affiliated markets would either have a new Ten affiliate license, or maybe go down the two-or-three-way JV path as well?
I will say no. Once the affiliation is through win will go it alone and maybe become fta foxtel TV channel. Bruce sounds like hes still got a grudge against 10
I think Bruce is against digital only TV. Hence why 9 and win TV walked away. I. Would say ten would have to find a new partner or go it.alone and either regional Australia will have ten or ten will only be in metro only. I am sure Bruce is done with ten
There are no rules that say a network or channels must be carried, only what’s in the commercial affiliation agreements between the metro and regional licences. Aggregation never specified affiliation, it just turned out that way as the most practical and it stopped bidding price wars for individual programmes. WIN is quite entitled to program independently as long as they meet broadcasting regulations, such as Australian content quotas.
Does all this mean that WIN may possibly completely remove Ten Eyewitness News from the schedule and instead go with an hour long WIN News edition which includes Sky News reports?
Unlikely while the current affiliation deal is in place. Don’t forget that WIN (currently anyway) don’t place their watermark over Ten’s during news.
This new deal is for a separate channel (and not just a relay either); I would say that the Ten news bulletins on WIN will be untouched for now.
I guess they will place “Sky News on WIN” on ch83/53? Obviously for some 83/53 is the WIN Network slide, in other areas there is no channel 83 at present.
win will probably go it alone and just go with foxtel maybe and become a fta foxtel channel , which means ten cbs will probably have to go it alone in regional australia and have no affiliate channel or maybe regional australia will no longer have ten
Spin by Murdoch press: “Television viewers will soon be able to watch a dedicated 24/7 news channel on a free-to-air network for the first time…” totally ignoring ABC News Channel.
In a way, I’m glad that WIN is trying something different, although Sky News, especially its opinion shows are trash IMHO.
It could well in regional Australia, though, given many areas skew more conservative. And Rupert will love the fact that his channel’s rightwing nutjob views are seen by more than 5 people.
