Sky News Slashes Freelance Budgets Amid Audience Decline

Sky News is implementing cost-cutting measures by significantly reducing its freelance budgets amidst a decline in viewership, as reported by The Telegraph.

Documents show that Sky News has scaled back its use of freelance workers, particularly in roles like producers and guest bookers. Employees have noted a decrease in available shifts in recent months.

The decline in viewership is evident in programs like The News Hour with Mark Austin, which attracted only 47,000 viewers compared to BBC News at Six’s 165,000. Similarly, The World with Yalda Hakim, launched this year, averaged around 60,000 viewers versus BBC News’s 100,000.

Concerns over the channel’s future have been raised as Sky News faces financial challenges. Despite Comcast‘s commitment to funding it for a decade post-acquisition, the financial pressures are mounting as competition from streaming platforms and other opinionated broadcasters like GB News and TalkTV intensifies.

During a parliamentary session, Sky News executive chairman David Rhodes expressed confidence in the channel’s future, emphasizing its importance within the network’s portfolio.

Amid broader job cuts at Sky, the company is set to reduce around 1,000 positions, primarily within its engineering team as it transitions to a more digital-focused strategy.

A spokesperson for Sky News countered the reports of budget cuts, stating that spending has actually increased by 10% compared to the previous year.