Sky News to launch paid podcast plan

Comcast’s Sky News division has launched a premium podcast subscription bundle.

The plan costs £2.99 (about $4 U.S.) a month and includes ad-free episodes and bonus episodes of the upcoming new economics podcast “Stuff Matters.”

“Around our most-popular and trusted voices we see pent-up demand: people who want a bonus episode, the chance to interact with us and with each other, to attend an event, even to buy merch,” said David Rhodes, executive chairman of Sky News, in a statement. “This subscription lets us bring all of that together, giving listeners greater access to the journalism and talent they trust.”

The service, dubbed “Sky News Insider: Podcasts,” will launch June 15, 2026. 

It’s worth noting that the way that name is formatted could hint that Sky will eventually expand subscription offerings beyond just podcasts, perhaps in some kind of bundle the the broader “Sky News Insider” part of the name, though this was not mentioned in the announcement. 

A full summary of the subscription benefits:

• Bonus episodes from hit podcasts including “Electoral Dysfunction” and “Trump 100”
• Ad-free listening across participating shows
• Early access to new series and episodes before general release
• A weekly newsletter with exclusive insight from hosts including Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman, Ruth Davidson, Martha Kelner, James Matthews and Mark Stone
• First release access for tickets to live shows, following on from the success of sold-out “Electoral Dysfunction Live Shows” last year
• Access to a community forum to enable chat directly to podcast hosts
• They will also get early access and bonus episodes of “Stuff Matters,” a new six-part flagship series from economics and data editor Ed Conway. The series uncovers the hidden global forces behind everyday objects: could a banana really help bring down a government, and do air pods herald the arrival of a new global order? Stuff Matters explores economics through the everyday things we think we already understand.

“The subscription model reflects changing audience habits and builds on the growing success of Sky News award winning podcasts, which have seen a 102% year on year increase in listens from 2024-2025, and a more than 70% increase in followers between April 2025 and April 2026, establishing them as a trusted source of analysis and insight on the biggest stories of the day,” the announcement reads. 

Like many media outlets, Sky News is eager to find new ways to generate revenue outside traditional linear television. This often involves creating direct-to-consumer products. Subscriptions are a popular option because consumers are, to at least some extent, already used to paying monthly fees for content, and also creates ongoing revenue streams. 

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That said, there is growing evidence that at least some consumers are tiring of the subscription model as more and more companies introduce products under it.