Sky News creates new role for executive editor

Sky News has offered executive editor Chris Birkett a new role at the broadcasers; head of a new multimedia production team responsible for combining TV, online, radio and interactive departments.

The new team, a 130-person strong amalgamation of Sky employees, will create a shift from individual departments to a new dedicated team aimed at integrating Sky's various forms of broadcast.

Mr Birkett will adopt his role as combined head of Sky News as the newsroom itself is subjected to a shake-up, on September 29.

In his new role, Mr Birkett will also work alongside Steve Bennedik, soon to be the head of a new Sky News New Technology unit, aimed at increasing Sky News' use of new technology across all forms of broadcast, in reaction to changing media landscapes.

"Sky News' audience is changing and we must change too," said John Ryley, head of Sky News.

"We need to accelerate the pace of change into digital media."

The shift of focus onto digital media mirrors the nervousness also present in the printed press, which is concerned with the falling readership of newspapers and a rise in online news sources.

So far however, a shift from broadcast news to digital media has been slow to gain popularity, with BBC's iPlayer and Channel 4's 4OD being used more for non-live programmes.

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