Sunday, 10 July 2022

Qantas ditches Sky News from airport lounges as ABC takes flight on 90th birthday.

Extract from The Guardian

 The weekly beast

Australian media


Passengers will see two bespoke bulletins a day from the national broadcaster. Plus: Aunty’s stars party at Ultimo.
The departures board inside the Qantas first class lounge at Sydney airport
Qantas has signed a deal with the ABC for its news bulletins to screen in lounges and on flights.

In what is a fitting 90th birthday present for the ABC, Qantas has inked a new deal with the public broadcaster for ABC news bulletins to screen on Qantas flights and in airport lounges.

The arrangement means Sky News Australia will no longer be screened in the airline’s lounges, a development that will please critics of the divisive pay TV channel.


There have long been calls for Sky News to be removed from the lounges. Last year the News Corp Australia-owned channel was suspended by YouTube for airing Covid-19 misinformation and last month it was identified as a key “content hub” for climate science deniers. But the calls were loudest after the former senator David Leyonhjelm made sexist and defamatory comments about the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young on Rowan Dean’s Outsiders program.

From Friday passengers on Qantas domestic and international flights will see two bespoke bulletins every day, including business, sport, weather and entertainment reports.

But there is a silver lining for Sky. The Australian reports that the channel might be out of airports but will now be shown on cruise ships.

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