Sky News Australia Agrees Content and Correspondent Sharing Deal with CNN International

Last Updated on Sunday, 10 October 2010 21:10 Sunday, 10 October 2010 21:04

Sky News Australia has agreed a four year deal with CNN International to mutually share content and reporters which will begin on January 1st 2011.

Full details of the deal have not been disclosed by either party, but it is thought that as a result of the deal, the ABC's access to CNN's content will come to an end. According to 'The Australian', the news content deal is the largest that Sky News Australia has struck in it's 15 year history and is valued in millions of aussie dollars.

The Australian's media editor Geoff Elliot wrote;

He told Media yesterday the CNN International deal was "the next step in the growth of Sky News".

"The importance of CNN to us is their breadth and depth. We've established great strengths in politics and national affairs, and the resources of CBS, Fox and BSkyB, but this takes us to another level."

The CNN International channel is already available through Foxtel, but Mr Frangopoulos [Sky News Australia Chief Executive] says the network and its correspondents, including Australians like Michael Holmes and Anna Coren, "will form a central part of Sky international news coverage initiatives launching next year".

In turn, Sky News Australian reporters "will be accessed by CNN International for news coverage and programming from Australia".

CNN International's Asian chief, Ian Carroll, said the partnership would "extend both the delivery of international news within Australia and Australian news around the world".