It's official, the world has gone selfie stick crazy. Now even the news is going to start using selfie sticks.

Sky News Australia is set to begin using selfie sticks to transmit news from its broadcasters. The idea is to allow one journalist to report on news and deliver video without a huge team being present. Yes, it probably saves Sky a huge sum of money as well as getting attention for the stunt.

Initially 12 SmartGrip units will be given to video journalists to use out in the field. The SmartGrip unit attaches to the owner's smartphone and external microphone. Using the LU-Smart app high quality footage is transmitted over network or Wi-Fi connection back to the newsroom.

Selfie sticks in news aren't entirely new. Sky News UK used one in February when video journo Joe Tidy interviewed Ed Miliband while walking along.

https://vine.co/v/OtlFgv0thl0/watch?v=simple

The Sky New SmartGrip appears to simply be a plastic holder for a phone. It's more the adoption of this tech that's interesting. It shows news companies are willing to sacrifice quality for greater speed in news delivery. Whether this will move outside of Australia anytime soon is still unclear. 

With Periscope and Meerkat already allowing live broadcasts from anyone, is this attempt to modernise going to help Sky News stay ahead of public broadcasting? Time will tell.

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