Updated ,first published
Sky News Australia has used a star-studded event at News Corp’s Australian headquarters to unveil its new brand as News24 in front of guests including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The Murdoch-owned news and conservative opinion channel was forced to rebrand ahead of the December expiry of its current 10-year licensing deal with Britain’s Sky News, which is owned by American media conglomerate Comcast.
The new brand poses a major challenge for Sky, which will have to convince casual viewers to recognise its fresh name and win audience’s trust without the association with its less-politicised British namesake.
The function, scheduled a day after Sky’s 30th birthday, is also doubling as a launch of Sky’s new studios in the inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, near Central Station.
Albanese arrived early, but was hard to spot in his government Comcar as he entered through the Holt St offices’ back door, as did investigative reporter and presenter Sharri Markson, who drove herself in.
Peta Credlin, who took a taxi, shortly followed by on-air talent Andrew Bolt, and Kieran Gilbert. Liberal politicians Melissa McIntosh, who was at the time of her invite, federal opposition communications spokeswoman. NSW state Opposition leader Kellie Sloane arrived at the same time, though separately through the front door.
Former Murdoch ally and until last year, chair of Sky News Siobhan McKenna was a surprise arrival at the same time as Qantas boss Vanessa Hudson. The pair were followed shortly after by newly minted Liberal communications spokesperson and agitator Sarah Henderson, former Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard.
Commonwealth bank CEO Matt Comyn arrived through the front, as did Rich Lister Solomon Lew while state premier Chris Minns, like his only other fellow Labor representative Albanese, went through the back door.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who triggered outrage this week when she suggested there were no “good” muslims, was invited but at the time of publication had not been spotted arriving. Sky has increasingly given airtime to One Nation figures.
New Coalition leader Angus Taylor also, wasn’t seen arriving. News Corp company man Hamish McLennan, who is REA Group chair arrived at 5pm on the dot.
Sports administrator and reportedly “best mate” of Sky News boss Paul Whittaker, Peter V’Landys was a late arrival. It is a starkly similar guest list to that of News Corp chair Lachlan Murdoch’s annual Christmas party.
Confirmation of the forced name change was first reported by this masthead in August.
Established in 1996, Sky was founded as a joint venture between Sky UK, Channel Seven and Channel Nine as an upstart news brand, broadcasting through cable television company Foxtel. In 2016, when it was sold to News Corp, the company secured a ten-year extension of its naming rights deal.
The sale began the shift from relatively centrist news broadcaster, akin to its British namesake, toward the slate of conservative opinion hosts it broadcasts each evening in its current incarnation.
Sky still broadcasts to a modest on Foxtel (now under new ownership) whose household subscribers have been declining for a decade. But Sky has found new audiences online by repackaging and posting thousands of clips from its daily programming to digital platforms such as YouTube.
Much of Sky’s online audience is now based overseas and its content has a heavy focus on popular culture wars topics related to US politics and the British Royal Family. It has posted 213,000 videos to its YouTube account, where it has 6.1 million subscribers.
Locally, the Sky’s so-called “after dark” programming has played a role in shaping the conservative politics in Australia.
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Calum Jaspan is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect via X or email.
Kishor Napier-Raman is a senior business writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously he worked as a CBD columnist and reporter in the federal parliamentary press gallery.Connect via X or email.