Sky News axes Irish bulletins
Sky News is cutting back its Irish news service, launched two years ago at a cost of £2m, with the loss of 24 jobs.
The two Dublin-based nightly news bulletins on Sky News Ireland will be dropped as part of cutbacks announced to staff today.
Sky News Ireland’s editorial staff of 29 is expected to be cut back to four journalists based in Dublin and one in Belfast.
The 6pm news bulletin had an average audience of just 6,000 in the first six months of this year, with 17,000 people tuning in for the 10pm bulletin.
Sky News Ireland was launched in May 2004 at a cost of €3m (£2m), the London-based news channel’s biggest overseas investment.
The broadcaster said today it was looking to "refocus" its coverage of Irish news by integrating the output of its Dublin and Belfast bureaux into its main channel
