Sky Deutschland to Launch Sports News in Germany/Austria

Sky Deutschland, a German pay-TV operator, has announced plans to launch a rolling 24-hour sports news channel in Germany and Austria within a year, mirroring the Sky Sports News format of the channel of the same name that airs through sister company Sky Sports in the UK.

Sky Deutschland’s Sky Sports News 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.

A US$66.2m loan from News Corp will help to finance the project, and Sky Deutschland is in the process of obtaining a licence for the new channel from the media authorities.

Sky Deutschland CEO Brian Sullivan stated: “At the moment Sky is at an exciting phase. 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.”