In its most expansive content deal ever, HBO has closed a four-year pact with Vice that will dramatically increase the network’s current events coverage.

The deal includes the launch of a daily Vice newscast, consisting of five half-hour shows per week, 48 weeks a year. The deal also extends the Vice series through 2018, increasing from the current 14 episodes to 35 episodes a year. It also includes a four-year commitment for an increased number of Vice-produced specials, totaling 32 through 2018. Additionally, a Vice-branded channel on the HBO NOW streaming service will provide instant access to Vice content for HBO subscribers.

The partnership builds off the success of the Vice series on HBO, which received the Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series or Special last August.

“Shane and the Vice team have produced some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic journalism anywhere. said Richard Plepler, CEO of HBO and Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. “From the front lines in the Ukraine, to the icebergs of Antarctica and the streets of Ferguson, Vice news has helped illuminate and expand our understanding of an increasingly complex world. This extension of the HBO/VICE relationship, which will include more shows, more documentaries and even a Vice daily newscast, is a natural evolution of our partnership. All of us at HBO couldn’t be more excited working with the Vice team and helping to tell the stories which define our world.”

The newscast will feature original on-the-ground reporting, but in a daily format, with Vice drawing on its network of more than 30 global bureaus. The slate of 32 specials will offer viewers in-depth examinations of pressing topics, as Vice has done with recent specials exploring the use of deadly viruses to fight cancer and climate change affecting the West Antarctic ice sheet.

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“I think the first thing, perhaps the hardest thing, I learned about journalism over the past 20 years is that maintaining any type of independence, any type of freedom, is difficult as you scale up, said Shane Smith, founder and CEO of Vice. “This deal, simply put, allows Vice the freedom to go after any story, anywhere we find it – and to do so with complete independence. This deal is a tremendous gift and a tremendous opportunity, and we at VICE realize this”.

“Over the the last few years, our relationship with HBO has morphed from a great business partnership into a transformative brand-builder,” Smith added. “This groundbreaking deal will create a new voice in news.”