Sky News broadcaster Alan Jones boosts audience after quitting 2GB radio
Broadcaster Alan Jones’ new gig is connecting him with a younger and broader audience, with millions of viewers tuning in to hear his views.
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Broadcaster Alan Jones has substantially expanded his national reach since quitting his 2GB radio show and dedicating his time to his weeknight TV show.
Since launching his program on Sky News Australia in July, figures show his move to a dedicated regular television slot has paid off for the veteran journalist, who is now connecting with a younger and broader audience, with millions of viewers tuning in to hear his views.
Having handed over the 2GB breakfast show reins to Ben Fordham earlier this year, Jones has dramatically increased his profile thanks to his prime time stint.
“I always loved radio and always will because of its immediacy but my material now has an international reach which represents a whole new world and certainly isn’t Sydney-centric,” Jones told The Daily Telegraph.
“The response to the program content has been overwhelming.
“I’ve received feedback from a member of the European Parliament and, in a segment that I did on the Nobel Peace Prize, Fox News in America, I understand, passed it on to the White House.”
Sky News Australia recently reached the milestone of becoming the number one commercial Australian news channel page on the two largest social media networks, Facebook and YouTube.
The commentator has become one of Australia’s highest-reaching public figures for Sky News through syndication of his videos across Sky News Australia’s social media platforms.
October was Sky News digital network’s best month on record with more than 160 million video views that month alone.
Ratings for Jones’ 8pm program Monday to Thursday nights are up by more than 60 per cent since launching in July, reaching more than one million viewers in that time.
It’s a similar story on free-to-air regional channel Sky News on WIN where his timeslot audience has doubled.
A major driver for Jones has been embracing social media sites like Facebook and YouTube to share his content.
Just one seven minute clip of Jones discussing COVID-19 in September has amassed more than 2.2 million views to date on YouTube. Another clip from last week on the US Presidential election has attracted more than 737,000 views.
“I never understood until I left radio the difficulty of people accessing content by listening direct to a radio or television program,” Jones explained.
“By that, I mean they had to be on the dial at 5.30am until 9am. Now, via Facebook and YouTube in particular, they are viewing my material and the numbers are staggering. And the feedback is very valuable — thousands and thousands of comments. It’s a whole new world which provides the incentive to work even harder.”
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