Comcast takes aim at CNN with NBC-Sky global news channel: FT

FILE PHOTO: The NBC and Comcast logo are displayed on top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, formerly known as the GE building, in midtown Manhattan in New York

(Reuters) - Comcast's <CMCSA.O> NBC and Sky will jointly launch a global news channel taking aim at CNN, the Financial Times reported https://www.ft.com/content/cf3aafce-3d30-11ea-a01a-bae547046735 on Thursday.

The channel, NBC Sky World News, will unite Comcast's transatlantic brands, the report said.

NBC Sky World News would draw on a 3,500-strong combined workforce of NBC and Sky news and hire 100-200 dedicated staff over time, the report added, citing Andy Lack, chairman of NBC News.

Ten new bureaus will be opened worldwide, extending the NBC-Sky reporting footprint by about 50%. On launch, the television channel will reach 130 million households, according to the report.

Comcast did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Bharath Manjesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)