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In recent years, there has been much speculation about the ownership of Sky News Australia. Some believe that the network is owned by Fox News, while others maintain that it is a separate entity. So, who is correct?
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Murdoch’s Media Empire
Sky News Australia is a 24-hour cable and satellite news channel available in Australia and New Zealand. The channel is owned and operated by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia. The channel is headquartered in Sydney.
News Corporation
News Corporation is an American multinational mass media corporation headquartered in New York City. It was founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1980, and is the parent company of Fox News, Sky News Australia, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
News Corporation is a publicly traded company, and its shareholders elect a board of directors to oversee management. The current chairman and CEO of News Corporation is Rupert Murdoch.
News Corporation has been criticized for its supposed political bias, particularly in the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2010, the company was investigated by the US Department of Justice for alleged improper payments made to British politicians.
21st Century Fox
21st Century Fox is a multinational mass media corporation that is headquartered in New York City. The company was founded in 1934 by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and it has since grown to become one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. The company owns a vast array of assets, including the Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Sports, and the Twentieth Century Fox film studio. In 2017, 21st Century Fox was acquired by Disney.
Murdoch’s media empire began with the purchase of two Australian newspapers in 1964, and he quickly expanded his operations by acquiring other newspapers and television stations in Australia and the United Kingdom. In 1987, Murdoch founded Sky Television, which was later renamed Sky News Australia. In 2010, Murdoch’s News Corporation acquired a majority stake in Sky News Australia.
While Murdoch’s News Corporation does not own outright Sky News Australia anymore, it still holds a minority stake in the company.
The Beginnings of Sky News Australia
Sky News Australia is a 24-hour Australian-based cable and satellite news channel available on Foxtel, Optus Television, and Vodafone TV. It is also available in New Zealand on Sky Television and Vodafone. Sky News is owned by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd, which is in turn owned by British Sky Broadcasting.
Launched in 1996
Sky News Australia is an Australian 24-hour cable and satellite news channel available on the Foxtel and Optus Television subscription platforms. It is also available in New Zealand on Sky Television and Vodafone.
In Indonesia, it is available on Indovision, while in Hong Kong, it is available on Now TV. It was launched on 1 February 1996 as Sky News UK & Ireland, before being separated into Sky News UK and Sky News Ireland on 11 March 2002.
Australia took control of the channel in October 2005 following BskyB’s acquisition of non-voting shares in Australasian Satellite Communications Group Ltd (ASci) which operated Optus’ DBS satellite service. BSkyB subsequently acquired 100% of ASci in 2007, effectively giving it full control of its only serious competition from other subscription television providers in Australia.
In June 2010, Sky News Australia commenced broadcasting local high-definition content through its own proprietary HD simulcast feed. On 17 February 2016, Sky News launched its Animal Rescue live stream channel which streamed live footage of animals in distress 24 hours a day.
A joint venture between News Corporation and British Sky Broadcasting
Sky News Australia is a 24-hour cable and satellite news channel available in Australia and New Zealand, owned by News Corp Australia and operated by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd. It is not affiliated with the UK-based Sky News.
The channel chooses to focus on international rather than local news stories, and is broadcast live from the network’s headquarters in Sydney. The channel started broadcasting on 19 February 1996 as a joint venture between News Corporation (which owns 70% of the network) and British Sky Broadcasting (which owns 30%).
In 2012, BSkyB confirmed it would sell its stake in Sky News Australia to News Corporation. The deal was completed on 13 December 2016. Fox Corporation, which had previously owned a minority stake in the business, increased its stake to 100% on 21 December 2018.
The Fox Connection
Sky News is an Australian 24-hour cable and satellite news channel available in 2.5 million homes on the Foxtel network. It is owned by News Corp Australia, which also owns The Australian newspaper. Sky News is operated out of the Fox Sports studios in Artarmon, Sydney.
Fox acquired Sky News Australia in 2015
Sky News Australia is an Australian 24-hour cable and satellite news channel available on the Foxtel and Optus Television subscription platforms. It is also available in New Zealand on Sky Television and Vodafone.
In 2015, Murdoch-owned Fox News made a deal with Seven West Media to take a controlling interest in Sky News Australia, and rebranded it as Fox News Australia.
Fox also owns a majority stake in News Corporation
News Corporation is an American multinational mass media corporation operated and owned by Rupert Murdoch. Its assets include Fox Entertaiment Group, 21st Century Fox, and Fox News. It also has a 63% controlling stake in Sky plc, European satellite television provider which also has its own news channel, Sky News.
The Impact of Fox Ownership
Since being bought by Fox in 2019, Sky News Australia has undergone several changes. Some have lauded the changes as a much-needed refresh for the network, while others have criticised them as a sign of ‘Foxification’. Let’s take a closer look at the impact of Fox ownership on Sky News Australia.
Some Australian politicians have raised concerns
Some Australian politicians have raised concerns about the potential impact of Fox News on Sky News Australia, after it was revealed that Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox holds a 39% stake in the company.
Australian Greens Party senator Rachel Siewert said she was concerned about the ” slippery slope ” of Murdoch owning more media outlets in Australia, and called for an inquiry into the matter.
” I am extremely concerned about what this could mean for our already Concentrated media ownership landscape and the impact this could have our democracy, ” she said in a statement.
Labor senator Doug Cameron also said he was worried about Murdoch’s influence on public discourse in Australia.
” We need to be very vigilant about ensuring that there is a diversity of voices and opinions being heard in the Australian media, ” he told Sky News.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it would monitor the situation closely.
Sky News Australia has maintained its editorial independence
Since News Corp Australia took a controlling stake in Sky News Australia in 2016, concerns have been raised about the potential for the channel to be biased in its coverage. However, Sky News Australia has maintained its editorial independence, with founder and CEO of Sky News Australia, Angelos Frangopoulos, stating: “There is no issue with editorial independence. We have a very clear separation between our news operations and our corporate interests.”
