Sky launches £233m west London studio

Sky Sports News today became the first channel to start broadcasting from Sky's state-of-the-art, £233 million new production studio in west London.

The facility, previously known as Harlequin 1 but now referred to as Sky Studios, started broadcasting today at 6am for Good Morning Sports Fans on Sky Sports News.

Mike Wedderburn, who was the first presenter to appear on Sky Sports News when it launched on August 9, 1998, hosted Good Morning Sports Fans with co-presenter Kirsty Gallacher from a new studio built specifically for the Sky Sports News production team.

Sky, which is currently the subject of a takeover bid by News Corporation, said that Sky Studios is the "most significant element" of a recent increase of investment at Sky Sports News. The studio will work alongside more live outside broadcasting trucks and new high definition infrastructure to provide comprehensive coverage for Sky Sports News and its HD channel that launched last August.

Claimed to be the "most sustainable broadcasting facility in Europe", Sky Studios is home to eight studios, including five HD facilities, along with 45 edit suites, 14 voiceover suites, four audio suites and on-site post-production.



Arranged over five floors at the west London site, each floor the size of a football pitch, Sky Studios enables producers to film, edit and transmit original content from a single building.

The studio is split horizontally into three zones - 'make', 'shape' and 'share' - and the building will handle production, platform control and transmission services for all of Sky's sport and news content. Sky has invested around £233m in the facility since building work began in 2006.

Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch said: "Opening Sky Studios is a significant step in Sky's development, and this building stands testament to our commitment to home-grown, high quality British content.

"Not only is Sky Studios the most environmentally sustainable broadcasting facility in Europe, its cutting edge technology will also help us continue to create ground-breaking and innovative programming long into the future."

Sky Studios is also part of the satellite broadcaster's "growing commitment to home-grown British content", following an announcement last month that it would increase investment in UK programmes by more than 50% over the next three years to £600 million a year.