Weeks after the controversial dropping of Current TV from the Sky Italia bouquet, the Italian pay-TV platform has debuted the Fox Business Network.
The New York-based channel has struck what is thought to be its first European carriage deal – Fox News is already available in a number of European homes. Fox Business Network was launched in the United States in October 2007 and is available in around 50 million homes in its domestic market.
Sky Italia already carries 18 dedicated news channels including the locally originated Sky TG24, as well as Sky News, Fox News and CNBC.
Current TV was dropped by Sky Italia in May in a dispute over carriage fees, although Current disputes this version of events, claiming it was political motivated in connection with the hiring of liberal politics news anchor Keith Olbermann.