Sky News, Sky Sports News went off air due to software update

Sky News and Sky Sports News went off air this morning amid a global IT outage.

The disruptions was caused by a faulty software update for cybersecurity company Crowdstrike’s anti-virus software.

This affected many Windows devices prompting Microsoft to say: “We’re aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming.”

Crowdstrike then issued a statement saying that it is “actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

Sky News chairman David Rhodes said on X that the network had “not been able to broadcast live TV this morning, currently telling viewers that we apologize for the interruption. Much of our news report is still available online, and we are working hard to restore all services.”

Sky News was restored around 9am with full capabilities returning shortly after midday.

Royal Mail, Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and NHS GP systems were also affected by the outage.