Sky News Brexit-Free will air for five hours from the same time every workday. (Reuters)
A British broadcaster will on Wednesday launch a new "pop-up channel" dedicated to Brexit-free coverage, in a bid to attract viewers tired of hearing about the divisive issue.
Sky News Brexit-Free, which will go live at 1600 GMT (5:00 pm local time), has been set up after surveys showed Britons are avoiding the news due to fatigue with the arguments over Britain's fractious withdrawal from the EU.
It will air for five hours from the same time every workday.
The broadcaster's main free-to-air news channel will continue to cover Brexit, with negotiations ongoing before the country's planned October 31 departure date from the European Union.
"Sky News Brexit-Free is a bold approach but listening to public opinion over the past weeks and months, it's something we know our viewers will find valuable, John Ryley, the head of Sky News, said.
"The new channel simply gives people the option to take a break from Brexit, apply a filter to their headlines and hear about issues away from Westminster and Brussels."
He added the venture would have a focus on "hard-hitting, original journalism".
Britain narrowly voted to leave the 28-member EU in a 2016 referendum, opting to end nearly five decades of membership after an ill-tempered campaign marked by accusations of dishonesty and fear-mongering.
But the country has since descended into political turmoil over how to deliver on the historic vote, with every twist and turn in the rancorous process dominating the news headlines.
Announcing the new channel, Sky News -- formerly owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch but run by US cable giant Comcast since 2018 -- pointed to a study suggesting a third of people avoided the news entirely.
It said more than 70 percent of them blamed Brexit, noting frustration at the seemingly never-ending political debate over the issue.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)