★★★★★ 0/5

SKY News closer to Australia Network contract

Speculation that an assessment panel will recommended to Senator Conroy that SKY News win the Australia Network contract over the ABC.

19
Leave a comment

There is speculation today that an assessment panel looking at the tender bids for the Australian Network contract will recommended to Senator Stephen Conroy that SKY News wins the deal over the ABC.

The Australian claims the four-member assessment panel unanimously supported SKY News, citing its superior plans to establish special programming for services to China and the Middle East. SKY recently established links with CCTV and Shanghai Media Group.

This would be the second time a panel has recommended the Pay TV channel, jointly owned by Seven, Nine and BSkyB, over the public broadcaster. The ABC has held the contract, now worth $223m, for ten years. If it loses, it will impact on ABC News 24 channel resources and staffing.

In July the government announced a delay to revealing the winning tender, but many questioned whether the government did not want to award it to SKY News, especially in the wake of phone hacking scandals in the UK.   Conroy can still ask for further information from the committee before he formally takes the issue to cabinet with his recommendation.

19 Responses

  5. Let me clear this up for everyone – News Corp owns under 13% of Sky News – so get a grip. Now, can anyone give me an example of right wing bias on Sky. Anyone… seriously it is Sky News Australia not Fox News Australia. Calm down and get over it.

  6. Apart from Matt, I’ll agree with every comment here.

    Yet, whenever The Australian has something to “report” on this matter, I always take it with a grain of salt.

  7. Seems to me that Newscorp has bought the contract. I think its pathetic and well imo if Sky does get it then its another blip on this governments record.

  8. This government absolutely despises the Murdoch press. I guarantee you pigs will fly over a frozen hell before Stephen ” we need an internet filter” Conroy and the Gillard government hand a quarter of a billion dollars to News Ltd. And if they do, you can be assured they’re getting something in return.

  9. Oh look, its all the people who spend every week complaining about Andrew Bolt. Good to see you have another topic.

    Ever sat on a government tender process? Have you looked at all the documents provided by both parties?

    No I didn’t think so either.

  10. THe Government is in a tricky position. If they grant Sky News the Australia Network contract then they will be critisised for caving in and for putting money ahead of ethics an people, but if they pick the ABC then all of those News Ltd “journalists” will complain and claim that the government has played favourits with the abc, which wouldnt be a stretch because they ( news ltd) already accuse the abc of being biased in favour of the Govt. Again damned if they do and damned if they dont.

  11. I’ll admit whoever is on that committee if they recommend SKY should never be trusted with government or other committee work again. Why would anyone think it a good idea to have people that are more interested in money than reporting the truth or accuracy ever be trusted with anything. I also think it ridiculous for it to be tendered in the first place. Why would anyone want their country be represented by shysters?

  12. This is scarey. Sky is a 2 bit new service that is only watched by a handful of people that does not go out and gather its own material. All it shows is press conferences in full that are provided to them and re package what Nine and Seven send to them. There has been a sustained campaign against the ABC since they launched ABC24 by News Ltd because they have shown up Sky news for what it is.

    It is still very disappointing that the ABC can not put together a strong case for running this service. A bit of a worry all round.

  13. Hmmm, now which corporation would I prefer to be responsible for representing Australia’s best interests, via its international broadcast network?

    The ABC, or Murdoch’s News Ltd/Corp?

    Further, who was responsible for deciding that perhaps the ABC wasn’t the most appropriate, and therefore requiring the provision of this service to go to tender in the first place?

    What a bloody mess.

  15. Here in the Pacific, AN is broadcast on local FTA stations all day and part of primetime. In Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, PNG, Thailand, etc., etc.
    We don’t want endless Sky News. We want the balanced news/information and general entertainment programs we get now. No to any changes.

  16. This should never have gone to tender. Giving a commercial company – especially one with such ethically-challenged owners – the rights to present our voice to the world is simply disgusting.

  17. So they’re going to give a government licence to Sky News owned by Newscorp, while at the same time Newscorp already own the pan Asia Star channel group along with Fox International Channels……. Will they be required to serve a charter?

Leave a Reply