ABC to take revenge on Sky News, challenge its name

February 27, 2026 — 5:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

In this week’s On Background, the ABC takes revenge on its 24-hour rival, a boat full of sporting media luminaries proves an unhealthy place to be, and The Guardian’s internal tensions revealed.

Sky News finally filed an application to trademark the words “News 24” and accompanying logo this week ahead of the conservative opinion network’s major rebrand later this year.

But while armchair graphic designers have privately had their say on the Canva-made logo, the ABC, On Background can reveal, is preparing a stronger response: its legal eagles are planning to lodge an actual objection to the trademark application and Sky News’ rebrand.

That’s because, as we explained on Monday, the name is eerily similar to the trademark currently owned by Aunty: ABC News 24, the initial name of its 24-hour news service now known as News Channel.

Intellectual property barrister Jane Rawlings told us the ABC has a case to argue, and our sources at the broadcaster clearly agree.

But it makes you wonder, does what goes around really come around?

When the ABC was preparing for the launch of its 24-hour news channel in 2010, it had come up with a great name for the new network: News24. It would be a free rival to the only other 24-hour news channel in the market: Sky News Australia, which had been operating since 1996.

So did Sky take that lying down? Not likely. It lodged a dispute and demanded that “ABC” be added to its rival’s name. The ABC’s hand was forced. Its updated trademark – ABC News 24 – was accepted in 2010. But despite the channel changing its name to “News Channel” in 2017, the ABC still holds the original “ABC News 24” trademark to this day.

Revenge, it would seem, is a dish best served cold.

The ABC and Sky were both contacted for comment.

Taylor made stand-off

Weeks on, and we’re still learning new details about Lenore Taylor’s sudden exit from Guardian Australia. Now, On Background can report that the resignation followed months of tension between Taylor and her most senior colleague........

© The Sydney Morning Herald