Sky News Australia has unveiled its new identity at a gala event in Sydney attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Mimms and One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson.
Launching later this year, Sky News Australia will become News24.
The rebrand will arrive ahead of the December expiry of Sky Australia’s 10-year licensing deal with Britain’s less politically focused Sky News, which is owned by the US media conglomerate Comcast.
The Murdoch-owned conservative news and opinion channel will also refresh its on-air sets and appearance, and relaunch its website as news24.com.au and its app.
The rebrand to ‘News’ aligns with its parent company News Corp Australia.
The gala event at News Australia’s Holt St headquarters today was by attended Sky News on air talent and political figures including Albanese, Hanson, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Sky News Australia CEO Paul Whittaker said the move pays homage to the legacy of News Corp’s founder Sir Keith Murdoch, and his son and longtime media baron Rupert Murdoch, who set up Sky News 30 years ago.
In an article on Sky News this afternoon, he opined: “While our name is changing, our brand of news isn’t.
“News24 will continue to feature our compelling offering of breaking news, sharp analysis, and frank commentary, with the same experienced team and expert voices audiences know and trust.
“Every night you will still see Australia’s favourite commentators deliver passionate opinions about the biggest stories, and we’ll continue to bring you live breaking news coverage as the place where news is not just analysed, but where it begins.”
In 1996, News Corp backed the launch of Sky News Australia – a then joint venture between BSkyB (which owned Sky News UK), Seven and Nine.
The divide between Sky UK and Sky Australia has become more apparent since Comcast took over BSkyB in the UK ten years ago.
In the UK, Sky News is known as an award-winning news service that has won accolades for its coverage of the September 11 attacks, the London terrorist bombings in 2025 and other major news events. It is not known for its political agenda.
It recently won five awards at the Royal Television Society journalism awards ceremony last night in London, including Television Journalist, Daily News Programme, International News Coverage, News Channel and the prestigious Judges’ Award.
The Sky News Australia team has also won several awards for its news coverage, including Logies, ASTRA Awards and Walkleys.
In recent years, Sky News Australia has become better known for producing right-leaning opinion programs in the evening, known by some as ‘Sky after dark’.
It’s commentators, including Andrew Bolt, Paul Murray, Rita Pahini and Peta Credlin, are well known media figures in Australia and have forged huge followings on social media channels.
Whittaker said that News24 is “a statement of intent for the future of trusted, fearless storytelling” with a “commitment to the profound importance of journalism under the leadership of News Corp’s Global Chair Lachlan Murdoch.”
Welcome to News24 and ‘News after dark’.
