About Sky News Australia

Sky News Australia

Sky News Australia — rebranded as News24 on 27 July 2026 — is Australia's 24-hour news channel: the News Corp Australia-owned broadcaster that has been the country's rolling news service since 19 February 1996. Launched as Australia's first 24-hour news channel, it broadcasts rolling news coverage through the day and opinion-based prime time programming from conservative commentators at night. Operated by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd from a new broadcast centre at News Corp Australia's Sydney headquarters, it is available on Foxtel (channel 600 in HD), regional free-to-air television, BINGE, streaming platforms and — since the rebrand — as News24.com.au. Wikipedia lists skynews.com.au as its former website; the current site is news24.com.au. Thirty years on air, now under its own name: News24 — Australia's first 24-hour news channel.

Overview

Sky News Australia was an Australian 24-hour news channel owned by News Corp Australia and operated by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd. Launched on 19 February 1996, it was Australia's first 24-hour news channel — a rolling news service in a market that had previously relied on scheduled bulletins. On 27 July 2026, after 30 years on air, the channel rebranded as News24 — the biggest change in the network's history — following the expiry of its brand licensing agreement with Comcast-owned Sky UK. The rebrand extended across the network's broadcast channels, streaming services and digital platforms: the main channel became News24 (Foxtel channel 600), Sky News Weather became News24 Weather (channel 601), and Sky News Extra became News24 World (channel 603). The channel broadcasts in 1080i high definition to Australia and New Zealand, in English, from its headquarters in Sydney, New South Wales — Australia's first 24-hour news channel, now News24.

History

Sky News Australia launched on 19 February 1996 as a joint venture between British broadcaster BSkyB, the Seven Network and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (owner of the Nine Network), operating as the Australian News Channel — a spin-off of the Sky News channel in the United Kingdom. It was Australia's first 24-hour news channel: rolling news, around the clock, in a market that had never had one. The early years were lean: at one point, 86 staff produced more than 110 hours of programming a week, powered by the non-linear editing technology the station had used since 1996 — the epitome, as one trade account put it, of global broadcasting leanness.

News Corp Australia acquired the Australian News Channel in 2016. With the subsequent sale of the Murdoch family's remaining shares in Sky UK to Comcast in 2018, Sky News Australia no longer had any direct ties to its UK counterpart — but continued to use the Sky News branding under licence from Sky UK. That licence was the channel's borrowed name for three decades.

In February 2026, as the network marked 30 years since its 1996 launch — and celebrated the official opening of its new world-class broadcast centre and studios at News Corp Australia's Sydney headquarters — it announced the rebrand: Sky News Australia would become News24. Chief News Anchor Kieran Gilbert said the name built on the proud history of News Corp, "that started right here in Australia," adding: "Our name is changing, but our brand of news isn't." The logo script borrows from Rupert Murdoch's handwriting — a visible connection to the century of journalistic heritage established by Sir Keith and Rupert Murdoch, now under News Corp's global chair Lachlan Murdoch. CEO Paul Whittaker called it "the next evolution" of Australia's first 24-hour news channel: "News24 is the next chapter in our story, but the mission remains unchanged: to deliver trusted journalism, fearless opinion and world class coverage wherever and however our audience chooses to consume it."

The rebrand took effect on 27 July 2026, rolling out across Foxtel, BINGE, regional free-to-air television, FAST channels, YouTube, podcasts, DAB+ radio and the new News24.com.au website and News24 Australia app. The familiar faces remained: Peter Stefanovic, Peta Credlin, Andrew Bolt, Paul Murray, Laura Jayes, Kieran Gilbert, Chris Kenny, Sharri Markson, Andrew Clennell, Rita Panahi and more continued under the new brand, with flagship programs including Credlin, The Bolt Report, Paul Murray Live and Outsiders. Beyond the name change, viewers found much the same channel: the existing mix of rolling news, opinion and prime time programming remained largely unchanged under the new banner.

Programming and Content

The channel broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, with prime time dedicated to opinion-based programs featuring conservative commentators. Weekday programming includes First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, NewsDay with Kieran Gilbert, Afternoon Agenda with Tom Connell and Ashleigh Gillon, and Business Now with Ross Greenwood. Opinion programming includes The Kenny Report, Credlin, The Bolt Report, Sharri, Paul Murray Live, The Late Debate and The Rita Panahi Show. Weekend programming includes Weekend First Edition, Weekend NewsDay, Sunday Agenda, Outsiders, Business Weekend, The Jaimee Rogers Show and The Macpherson Angle. The network also produces YouTube-first programs including Power Hour, Danica Goes Global and The James Bolt Show, and produces Fox Sports News for Foxtel channel 500 — the sports news channel made by the news channel.

Coverage and Audience

News24 is distributed on pay television in Australia and New Zealand: Foxtel channel 600 in HD in Australia, and Sky Television channel 85 in New Zealand. A free-to-air version, News24 Regional — featuring programming from News24 and Fox Sports News — is distributed on digital terrestrial television (channel 56) by Network Ten and selected WIN Television stations in regional Queensland, regional Victoria, southern NSW and the ACT, with a separate allocation on channel 53 in northern NSW and the Gold Coast. Streaming options include BINGE, Foxtel Go, the Australia Channel (outside Australia), News24.com.au, the News24 Australia app, YouTube, Facebook, podcasts, the FAST channel News24 Now on Samsung and LG smart TVs, and DAB+ radio in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The network's bureau network spans Canberra's Parliament House, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart, alongside the Sydney broadcast centre. International bureaus include Washington D.C., Taiwan (Asia) and Wellington, with a London bureau opening in November 2026 — News24's first Senior Europe Correspondent appointed from its Asia team, based out of the News UK building at London Bridge. The audience is Australia's news-hungry: the rolling-news viewer by day, the opinion viewer by night — and, increasingly, the YouTube, podcast and FAST audience the rebrand was built to reach.

Ownership

The channel is owned by News Corp Australia and operated by Australian News Channel Pty Ltd, under CEO Paul Whittaker. Its spin-off services are News24 Weather and News24 World. News Corp has positioned the News24 rebrand as part of a broader transformation into a multi-platform news operation, with rebuilt digital products, new streaming services and international ambitions — "evolving from a traditional linear TV channel to a globally ambitious multi-platform news and opinion media brand," as Whittaker put it.

Digital Presence

The network's digital home is now News24.com.au (Wikipedia previously listed skynews.com.au as the Sky News Australia website), with the News24 Australia app, YouTube and Facebook presences, podcasts, and the FAST channel News24 Now. Streaming within Australia is via BINGE and Foxtel Go; outside Australia via the Australia Channel. From Sky News Australia (1996–2026) to News24: thirty years as Australia's first 24-hour news channel, now under its own name — the mission unchanged, the name its own.