Sky Sports News, which will mirror the format of the channel of the same name that airs through sister company Sky Sports in the UK, will start broadcasting in the winter and be available in standard and high definition. Sky Deutschland will also offer the new channel through mobile platforms and the internet, with around 100 people – including 50 journalists – set to be recruited to support the launch.
Sky Deutschland is in the process of obtaining a licence for the new channel from the media authorities, and a Eur48 million loan from News Corp will help to finance the project.
“At the moment Sky is at an exciting phase,” said Sky Deutschland CEO Brian Sullivan. “A pioneer in the field of sport in Germany and Austria, with the launch of Sky Sports News HD we are again setting our focus on high quality and cutting-edge coverage of all sports.”
Sullivan added: “Last year alone we have the exclusive HD rights for Wimbledon tennis, the big European golf tournaments and the US Masters.”
The broadcaster, which currently has 2.65 million subscribers, announced on Thursday that its turnover for 2010 had increased year-on-year by 8% to Eur977.8 million. The company’s loss decreased from Eur676.5 million to Eur407.6 million.
