Sky News launches ‘Brexit-free’ channel
October 16, 2019
Ahead of the EU Council meeting this week and a critical week of negotiations to come, Sky News is launching a new pop-up channel that’s dedicated to Brexit-free news.
Sky News: Brexit-Free will launch at 5pm on October 16th on Sky Channel 523 and offer a real alternative to evening news programmes which will be dominated by Britain’s supposed impending departure from the EU.
A Reuters study earlier this year found that an increasing number of people in the UK were actively avoiding the news due to frustrations over the coverage of Brexit. As many has a third of people are actively avoiding the news, an increase of 11 per cent since 2017, while 58 per cent said it had a negative impact on their mood.
With that in mind Sky News says it will now offer viewers the chance to catch-up on the big national and international stories – without any fears of hearing about Brexit.
As Brexit continues to dominate the news agenda while the UK’s departure from the EU looms, Sky News Brexit Free will give viewers the choice to filter out headlines about Brexit. Sky News will continue to cover all angles of Brexit on its main channel as well as breaking the big stories from the UK and across the world.
John Ryley, Head of Sky News said: “Sky News Brexit-Free is a bold approach but listening to public opinion over the past weeks and months, it’s something we know our viewers will find valuable. Brexit is an historic story that has a major impact and we will continue to give it comprehensive coverage. The new channel simply gives people the option to take a break from Brexit, apply a filter to their headlines and hear about issues away from Westminster and Brussels with a focus on hard-hitting, original journalism.”