JAMES PACKER'S $270 million raid on the Ten Network is part of a wide-ranging plan that, if successful, would have Rupert Murdoch's Sky News broadcast on one of Ten's high-definition services - replacing its dedicated sports channel, One.

Axing Ten's sports channel would get rid of a big competitor for Fox Sports, jointly owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Ltd and Packer.

Until now Sky News has been available only on the pay television outlets Foxtel and its regional equivalent, Austar.

Under Packer's plan, Sky News would still be screened by Foxtel but would use one of Ten's digital channels as another distribution point and reach a far bigger audience.