Sky’s the limit

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UK-based channel Sky News has revealed plans for a major editorial and commercial push into the Middle East.

John Parnell spoke to foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall and head of news John Ryley about the region's increasing ability to generate revenues, as well as stories.

Sky News prides itself on its breaking news and is very proud of its record in this field.

The broadcaster's website claims the channel was first with the news of Princess Diana's death and that of Slobodan Milosevic as well being the first to despatch senior correspondents to the scene of the Asian tsunami.

Now the channel is looking to boost its commercial and editorial presence in the Middle East and create a few firsts of its own in the region.

"Over the last few years the geopolitical significance of this region has increased significantly partly because of the repercussions of the Iraq war and partly because of what is happening in Afghanistan," says John Ryley, head of Sky News.

As an international news channel it is important that we reflect more on what is happening in this region than we had previously, whether it's economic, financial, political or strife.

Currently carried in the Middle East on Star TV, part of the Murdoch empire, the Sky News format is fundamentally different to many of its competitors in that it sends the same content internationally regardless of location with no regionally specific programming.

"I believe this is the great advantage of Sky News and something that sets us apart from many of the other international news channels. We are a breaking news service - we don't attempt to tailor our programming to a specific region," claims Ryley.

While the broadcaster does offer several advertiser opt-outs per region, the Middle East is currently tied to the European service offering.

There are no plans at present to offer a separate dedicated alternative for Middle East-based advertising clients, despite the continuing growth in ad spend across the region.

The channel's presenters and on-camera reporters also adopt a very laid-back style which Ryley claims is another part of the channel's attempts to differentiate itself from its rivals.

"We currently operate a bureau in Jerusalem and we employ a network of stringers across the Middle East, although this presence is set to expand.

"If we open a bureau in Dubai or elsewhere in the region it would not only be to gather news - we also look to interview the key protagonists, the people involved in the stories.

"It's not just about having a producer, a cameraman and a correspondent available. It's about getting the right interviews to reflect all the different shades of opinion. We would look to do this here, just as we do from our other bureaus," says Ryley.

He adds that Sky is also conscious of the fact that any expansion of its Middle East-based coverage will do its ratings in the region, across all these platforms, no harm at all.

"I'd be a foolish head of news if I didn't try to consistently attract new viewers and customers. We are part of BSkyB, a FTSE 100 company. We are a commercial entity, a business, we don't get a licence fee from the public.

There are a lot of very affluent people in the Middle East and I think the market is there for the taking," says Ryley.

And as a commercial entity, Sky is also well aware of its own value with plans for the British version of the channel to come off the UK freeview platform in July and become a pay TV channel, a move which has led to some advertisers demanding a partial refund.

"We believe we have a quality product and people should pay for it," Ryley argues. "The hole in that argument is that the content is free and available to view on the web. But there are those who argue that the web is an imperfect media platform whose potential is yet to be fully realised.

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