Major IT Outage Disrupts Sky News and CBBC Broadcasts

A widespread IT failure has caused significant disruptions at Sky News and CBBC. Sky News’ morning broadcast failed to reach viewers as scheduled at 6 a.m. Friday, displaying an apology message for the service interruption.

Social media was abuzz with complaints, and presenter Jacquie Beltrao shared an image of the team waiting to resume broadcasting. “We’re obviously not on air – we’re trying,” she noted. Fellow presenter Gareth Barlow added, “Tech issues that don’t seem limited https://twitter.com/SkyJacquie/status/1814175380556710308?t=zJI0xahFzwI50kRsWR-YLA&s=19 just @SkyNews.”

Viewers expressed their frustration online, with one jokingly suggesting, “Tried turning it off and back on again?” Carol Vorderman also tweeted her concerns.

Sky News did not air as usual this morning (Picture: Sky News)

Sky News issued a statement apologizing for the disruption and directing audiences to their online platforms. The broadcast resumed around 9 a.m., albeit without graphics or music. The anchor reported on a “major global IT outage” affecting numerous businesses.

Here is the moment CBBC went down. pic.twitter.com/54h5OXWBvX

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) July 19, 2024

TV critic Scott Bryan praised the team’s adaptability, noting their effective handling of the situation without usual broadcasting tools.

Simultaneously, CBBC faced similar issues, redirecting viewers to BBC iPlayer. The outage has affected various Australian media, banks, and airlines. A Microsoft 365 service update acknowledged difficulties with app access.

Sky viewers were baffled over the interruption to usual programming this morning (Picture: Sky News)

Australia’s cybersecurity watchdog clarified that the outage stems from technical issues with a third-party software, not a cybersecurity threat.

The situation continues to develop as companies work to resolve the disruptions.