BSkyB Signs News Deal With Channel 5

Sky News is to be available on terrestrial TV for the first time after Channel 5 awarded its early morning news contract to BSkyB.

The contract runs from 7 January and means that Sky News will be shown on Channel 5 between 6.00am and 6.30am each weekday and from 7am until 8am on weekends. Channel 5 will also switch to Sky News for important breaking stories such as the terrorist attacks on the US.

The deal represents a significant foothold in British terrestrial television for BSkyB and comes just a few months after BSkyB lost out to ITN in the battle for ITV’s news contract (see ITN Wins ITV News Bid).

ITN will continue to provide Channel 5’s early evening news broadcasts, but the deal is expected to put BSkyB in a stronger position to bid against ITN for the ITV news contract when it comes up for renewal again in 2009 (see ITN Signs New Contract With ITV).

Head of Sky News, Nick Pollard, said: “We are very happy that Sky News has been awarded its first terrestrial news contract. The deal will bring Sky News to an audience who might never have seen it before.”

Earlier in the year BSkyB was rumoured to be in talks with Channel 5 about acquiring a stake in the channel (see BSkyB To Buy Into Channel 5?) and while Sky’s chief executive Tony Ball was quick to quash speculation, Rupert Murdoch has made no secret of his ambition to enter into mainstream TV.

BSkyB: 020 7705 3000 www.sky.com

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