The director of Sky Ireland has rejected reports that viewing figures were so low that it faced closure, and said legal advice was being sought on the matter.
A newspaper report yesterday claimed that the Sky News Ireland viewing figures dropped to a low of just 200 at one point, and that BSkyB had given the Irish station six months to improve.
Sky News Ireland began broadcasting in May this year. It produces two half-hour bulletins, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. each weekday on the general Sky News channel.
Yesterday the director of Sky Ireland, Mr Mark Deering, said: "Sky Ireland categorically denies false claims published in an Irish evening newspaper regarding its Sky News Ireland service. Sky Ireland is seeking legal advice regarding this issue and will take whatever steps are appropriate."
He said Sky was committed to the Ireland service. "In the two months since the launch, Sky News Ireland has established itself as a credible and authoritative news provider to both Irish and UK viewers and has received positive feedback from viewers about the quality of the service," Mr Deering said.
The broadcaster issued figures which it attributed to AC Nielsen Audience Research.
It said that in the two months since the launch, 949,000 had tuned into the Sky News Ireland service. The statement also claimed that the 7 p.m. bulletin had an almost 100 per cent increase in average Irish viewership, which was 13,000 compared to 7,000 who had watched the Sky News channel in the same period last year.