BBC Set to Rival Al-Jazeera

Politics | June 24, 2004, Thursday // 00:00

British state broadcaster BBC plans to launch an Arabic-language TV channel broadcasting to the Middle East in direct competition to Al-Jazeera.

According to world press reports, the plan has been devised by British foreign office, which is also to help finance the venture.

The United Kingdom is keen to promote the BBC offer an alternative to Doha-based Al-Jazeera and other Arabic stations, which have reaped considerable regional popularity with an editorial stance that often irritates London and Washington.

The new station would be modelled on existing satellite news and features channel BBC World, with news and discussion programmes 24 hours a day across the Middle East.

However, planning is still in the early stages and there is no indication of when the channel, if at all, would be launched.

The BBC has previously entered the Arabic television market, in cooperation with the Saudi-owned company Orbit, but it foundered in 1996 following issues of editorial control.

That same year al-Jazeera launched, based in Qatar, and recruited a number of former BBC Arabic staff members. Al-Jazeera grew in popularity and international recognition during the recent war in Afghanistan.

In February, the US government funded a satellite channel called al-Hurra, meaning The Free One, broadcast from Washington to the Arab world. Despite assurances that it is editorially independent, it still faces criticism in some quarters of the world.

The US has in turn criticised Arab-language news services, claiming they trigger off hatred and violence by "slanting" the news about events in Iraq.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Politics » Be a reporter: Write and send your article

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria