A new television channel offering coverage of Australian sports properties, and targeted at the Asian market, will launch on November 1.
The Variety newspaper said the international-facing Australia Channel is backed by Sky News Australia, a joint venture of Australian commercial broadcasters Seven and Nine and UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB.
Australia Channel will reportedly offer comprehensive coverage and news from the likes of Aussie rules football league the AFL, rugby league’s NRL, national and international cricket and horse racing events such as the annual Melbourne Cup.
It will also offer news and business coverage and will be targeted at Australian expatriates and a wider audience in north Asia, south east Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Indian sub-continent.
The channel will be distributed by Hong Kong-based content distributor and consultancy Lightning International. Variety added that Australia Channel will be available as either a premium channel, or formatted for a broader audience, depending on the market in question.