Sky News launches paid Defence Insider app at £14.99 a month

Sky News on September 10, 2026 launched Defence Insider, a paid video app on defense and security that costs £14.99 a month. Press Gazette reports it is the first time the broadcaster has charged for a single subject. The app works separately from the free Sky News app.

Defence Insider is UK-only on iOS with a three-month free trial

According to the Sky News press release, the app is on the iOS App Store in the UK only. Users must be 18 or over. New customers get a free trial. Press Gazette puts its length at three months. Deborah Haynes, defense and security editor, and military analyst Michael Clarke lead the content. Subscribers get live Q&As with journalists and experts, community discussions, and interviews with military leaders. They also get early access to live events. The app runs on the Noosphere technology platform.

Levy says the app is not a defense and security TikTok

Jonathan Levy, managing director and executive editor of Sky News, told Press Gazette: “What it’s distinctly not is a kind of defence and security Tiktok”. He said defense is an area where the newsroom has its own expertise and distinctive reporting. Sky News cites its own research with YouGov. Nearly one in three Britons believe a military attack on the UK within the next decade is likely. The broadcaster’s podcast The Wargame has recorded 3.6 million listens across platforms.

The £2.99 Insider podcast bundle sold slightly ahead of plan

Defence Insider is the second paid product from Sky News this year. In June 2026 it launched the Sky News Insider podcast bundle. It costs £2.99 a month and includes three ad-free shows. Levy told Press Gazette that take-up is slightly ahead of expectations. Broadband TV News links both launches to the Sky News 2030 strategy. That plan focuses on specialist content and premium video journalism. Sky News has not published a subscriber target for the new app.

A £14.99 app tests whether news viewers pay for one subject

For marketers, the launch shows a broadcaster known for free, ad-funded news testing a narrow subscription product. If the trial works, other TV news brands may follow with single-subject apps of their own. Advertisers who reach news audiences through free apps should ask publishers what is moving behind a paywall. They should also ask whether sponsorship or ads are on sale inside such apps. Sky News has not said whether Defence Insider will carry advertising. That answer decides whether this is a lost audience or a new placement.