DeGeneres to tape show segments in Sydney

SYDNEY, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Ellen DeGeneres has announced she will tape segments for her Los Angeles chat show in Sydney, Australia, in March.

DeGeneres revealed her plans during an on-air interview with Australian-American actress Nicole Kidman.

The talk-show host also offered ecstatic members of her studio audience free flights to Australia.

"This is a major coup for NSW as this is the first time that Ellen DeGeneres, one of the world's most popular TV stars, has taken her show outside the [United States], and it's also Ellen's first visit to Sydney," acting New South Wales Premier Andrew Stoner said in a statement Friday.

"Sydney will be on show to more than 16 million viewers who tune in to each episode of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' which is broadcast on weekdays to a worldwide audience," Stoner said. "Ellen's visit to Sydney will generate huge international publicity for Sydney and NSW in key tourism markets. I have no doubt that Ellen and her audience will fall in love with Sydney."