Sky News aligns with News Ltd to fill Business Sunday gap Maria Nguyen
Pay-TV network Sky News is collaborating with News Limited’sThe Australian newspaper to launch a business program that aims to fill the gap left by the axing of Nine’s Business Sunday.
Launching this Sunday September 3 at 8:30am, the 30-minute program, called Sky News Sunday Business, will be hosted by David Speers, Sky News’ Canberra bureau chief.
Spears will lead a team of business journalists, including The Australian’s Robert Gottliebsen and Jane Schulze and The Daily Telegraph’s Terry McCrann, who has also been a long-time commentator on Nine’sBusiness Sunday.
The program will provide commentary and analysis of the week’s business news, interviews with business leaders, and previews of the week ahead, the broadcaster said.
This latest Sky News business initiative coincides with the launch of Nine’s new-look panel-style Sunday program–an amalgamation of its Business Sunday and Sunday programs—which goes to air September 3.
Sky’s new program also builds on the existing partnership between Sky News and The Australian to produce the nightly Sky Business Report.
According to Sky News’ chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos, this latest offering from the pay-TV network had always been on the cards, but was pushed forward due to the axing of Business Sunday.
“Following the demise of Business Sunday we thought it was a good opportunity to continue to provide that service to our viewers,” Frangopoulos told a media report.
“Earlier this year we added Business and Market Day to our schedule and our next expansion was to introduce a new weekend business program. Our plans were brought forward with the demise of Business Sunday.”
The Australian’s editor-in-chief, Chris Mitchell, said in a statement: “Our newspaper is very happy to develop its relationship with Sky News, especially to grow quality business journalism on television.”
Sky News had previously aired repeats of Nine’s Business Sunday at 11.30am.
The Sky News Sunday Business program will screen from 8.30am, repeating at 11.30am and 8.30pm each Sunday.
Meanwhile, Nine is still keeping mum about who will front it’s revamped Sunday program, following three-year host Jana Wendt’s final taping last Sunday.
Sky News is owned by the Australian News Channel Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Packer’s Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd, the Seven Network and Murdoch’s British Sky Broadcasting.
