Sky News Arabia is an all-news television operation operating from Abu Dhabi and with offices in London and Washington, D.C. It caters to audiences across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The channel was launched in 2012.
Media assets
Television: Sky News Arabia
Radio: Sky News
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State Managed (ISM)
Ownership and governance
Sky News Arabia is a joint venture between Sky Group, a British subsidiary of the American-owned Comcast group, and Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC), an investment vehicle owned by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi Emirate ruling family. Each party has 50% in the company, which gives them equal control over the company’s decision-making.
Source of funding and budget
The Sky Group doesn’t publish detailed financial data about its subsidiaries. The company is majority funded through commercial revenues, according to journalists covering UAE. According to two sources at Sky Group, Sky News Arabia had a turnover of US$ 108.34m in 2021.
Editorial independence
There are no editorial rules officially imposed by the government on Sky News Arabia. From the onset, the two owners agreed on creating an Editorial Advisory Committee whose role is to ensure that none of the parties could meddle into the broadcaster’s internal editorial affairs. There is no evidence that the channel’s editorial decision-making is indirectly controlled by the Abu Dhabi royals or government officials.
The CEO and managing editor of Sky News Arabia is in charge of designing the station’s editorial guidelines and setting the outlet’s editorial direction. As none of the owners has majority control over the company’s decision-making (they own an equal stake in the broadcaster), the CEO and managing editor usually enjoys freedom in deciding about the station’s editorial independence.
Sky News Arabia has internal mechanisms and tools designed to constantly monitor the editorial performance of the channel.
August 2023