2 weeks Ago By Calum Jaspan
Sky News Australia has sent a football team-sized crew to cover next week’s United States election for its MAGA-obsessed online US audience, as it works to make up for a dwindling broadcast audience in Australia. The News Corp-owned network has 18 staff in the US, fronted by a mix of its opinion and news stars James Morrow, Paul Murray and Peter Stefanovic. Its model thrives off scale, speed and frequency, with the channel pushing the picture of a flailing Vice President Kamala Harris and a “rock star” Donald Trump as November 5 approaches.
Sky News is going all out on its US election coverage. Credit: Marija Ercegovac Previously fixated on President Joe Biden, Sky has shifted focus to Harris, posting 138 largely disparaging videos with her name in the title on its YouTube channel in the past week alone. “‘ Snowflake’ Kamala Harris freezes after heckler interrupts Michigan rally ”; “‘ So big and beautiful’: Donald Trump vows to ‘bring back’ the American dream ”; “ Lefties losing it: Kamala fan screams at toddler in stroller ”; “‘ Woeful candidate’: Kamala Harris’ campaign a ‘disaster’ ” highlight the tone of the content that rates well.
There is also overwhelmingly positive coverage of Trump on the channel, and popular videos rarely reference Sky talent or Australia. The lengthy, and tightly contested US election campaign has been a boon for Sky’s increasingly digital model. YouTube views of the channel have skyrocketed during the campaign, attracting more than 5 million daily views in October, spiking in the week of Trump’s assassination attempt in July, and gaining 90,000 subscribers and more than 250 million video views.
By comparison, the ABC News account averages 13 million monthly views. Sky’s election team is significantly larger than that of other Australian media, highlighting that its strategy caters to an increasingly online and partisan American audience. Almost 40 per cent of Sky’s digital audience is based in the US, compared with 26 per cent in Australia, this masthead reported last year .
It finds most of its reach on digital platforms, in particular YouTube, where it has nearly 5 million subscribers. That’s in stark contrast to its broadcast audience in Australia, where locally recognised News Corp talent including Sharri Markson, Chris Kenny and Peta Credlin broadcast nightly to a declining customer base and marginal regional viewership. Sharri netted an average metro audience of 31,000 at prime time on Wednesday evening this week, while Credlin drew an audience of 34,000.
Rita Panahi is Sky’s most popular talent online, yet her nightly show rarely ranks in the top 250 multichannel shows. There is now a perception within the company that chief executive Paul Whittaker is more concerned with what works on YouTube rather than what rates on Foxtel. For the US elections, Sky’s six-team line-up will visit everywhere from Arizona to Pennsylvania, culminating at both Harris and Trump’s election night headquarters, cutting and publishing hundreds of pro-Trump, anti-Harris videos daily.
Stefanovic has landed the live cross duties from the likely Trump headquarters at Mar-a-Lago on election night, while business editor Ross Greenwood will broadcast from New York. The host of AM Agenda Laura Hayes will be stationed at Harris headquarters, expected to be in Philadelphia. Sky’s deputy head of news Tom O’Brien is co-ordinating coverage from Washington, while former treasurer and US ambassador Joe Hockey will feature as a contributor on the night.
Sky’s presence in the US is matched only by that of the ABC, which will broadcast three of its flagship shows in the US during election week. David Speers and his Insiders executive producer Sam Clark will broadcast two shows from key swing state Michigan this weekend and Washington the week after, while Breakfast host Michael Rowland is there, as is 7.30 presenter Sarah Ferguson, who will broadcast three shows.
Other reporters include global affairs editor John Lyons, senior journalist Isabella Higgins and the broadcaster’s three permanent North America correspondents – Barbara Miller, Carrington Clarke, and Jade Macmillan – as well as recently appointed head of ABC International Roscoe Whalan. This masthead has two journalists covering the election, while 7News is sending Sunrise’ s Natalie Barr to join its existing North American correspondent Tim Lester. Sky’s digital shift may score Whittaker some points in his reported ambitions to one day lead Murdoch-controlled Fox News, the US network that has also benefited from the election news cycle.
It has outrated rival cable networks CNN and MSNBC in the US, buoyed by interviews with candidates from both sides of the political fence amid long-term declines to broadcast viewership. In October, Fox reported an average daily audience of 1.6 million viewers.
A Sky spokesperson said viewers could expect world-class coverage of the huge news event. “This is history in the making.” The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion.
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