Sky News boss Angelos Frangopoulos is leaving Australia to lead a new joint venture in Abu Dhabi.

The chief executive officer and managing editor of Australian News Channel has been named for similar roles with Sky News Arabia, a joint venture between ADMIC and UK-based Sky Plc.

The multi-platform news organisation delivers Arabic-language news on a free-to-air news channel, website and mobile devices to 50 million households. It employs more than 500 staff across the region, London and Washington.

Frangopoulos has led Sky News Australia - owned and operated by News Corp subsidiary ACN - since 2000, having previously been a senior producer with Sky UK in London.

News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said under his stewardship, Sky News had become Australia's most dynamic 24/7 news channel, while ANC has grown from one channel to 11.

News Corp has begun a national and international recruitment search for a replacement.

Frangopoulos, who has been at the helm of Sky News since 2000, has been chair of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism Advisory Board since 2017; director of ASTRA since 2006 and Pro Chancellor of Charles Sturt University since 2016. He has also been chairman of the Australia Day Council of NSW since 2011; is an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Literacy Foundation and a board member of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute since 2009.

In January 2018, was awarded membership of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to broadcasting, higher education, journalistic training and services to the community.