Sky News has agreed to a new multi-year deal with Independent Radio News.
The deal between Sky and IRN will see the former continue distributing news, business, sports and entertainment audio content to commercial radio stations across the UK.
John Ryley, Head of Sky News:
“We’re delighted to renew our distribution agreement with IRN to continue to provide millions of radio listeners across the UK with trusted, impartial news. In these uncertain times, it’s imperative that we offer audiences clarity with fact led, eyewitness reporting and expert analysis.”
The renewal means IRN subscribers including Boom Radio, Heart, Magic, talkSPORT, LBC, Greatest Hits, Radio Forth and Radio Clyde, will continue to have access to Sky News’ award-winning non-stop 24-hour news reporting, as well as sports coverage. This new deal builds on the long-standing relationship between Sky and IRN, which started in 2009.
Through the distribution deal, Sky News will provide live and pre-recorded news bulletins, scripts, audio and video clips, digital content, including entertainment, political, business and sports coverage to IRN’s clients, who are then able to use the content to build bulletins to suit their audiences.
With more than 500 journalists covering the regions of the UK and around the world, Sky News offers local knowledge and eyewitness reporting on global stories. Its specialist teams in UK politics, international news, business and economics, science and technology, climate and data and forensics bring audiences a comprehensive range of stories told with expert analysis, getting listeners and viewers to the heart of the story.
IRN clients also gain access to sports news, including expansive coverage of the English Premier League and Scottish Premiership, as well as non-stop updates and exclusive news and interviews from Sky Sports News. A dedicated team of radio journalists based at Sky HQ in London write, report, produce and read the news and sport 24-hours a day. The copy and audio are sent directly to radio newsrooms, and stations can choose to opt into the hourly bulletin.
The radio team, who regularly report on location covering major events such as Royal Weddings and elections, also has a high-spec studio facility at Sky News’ Millbank operation in Westminster for producing live and recorded interviews, bulletins and reports.
However, listeners have not all been impressed with IRN’s recent offerings. When Boom Radio recently had to ‘do their own’ news due to a technical fault – many took to social media to say the presentation ‘in house’ from Boom was vastly better than the ‘rushed’ and often ‘world-slipped’ offering from ‘the Sky News Centre’.
Tim Molloy, Managing Director of IRN:
“We are very happy to have renewed our long-standing deal with Sky News particularly at this unpredictable and volatile time. Our subscribers value the high-quality content Sky News provides as it gives peace of mind to commercial radio news editors that the big stories at home and abroad will always be there in the IRN feed when they need it, ensuring their listeners always receive the highest standards of news coverage.”
