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Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera English,Best News Channel,BBC, ITV, Al Anstey, BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 5, CNN International,Salah Nagm,50th Annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival,AJE,Royal Television,Bloomberg
Al Jazeera English is pleased to announce that it has received the Freesat Award for “Best News Channel”. Presented on 30 June at a gala ceremony in London, the Freesat Awards recognize the very best channels and services available on Freesat, a not-for-profit digital satellite television service in the United Kingdom owned by the BBC and ITV. Al Anstey, Director of Media Development for Al Jazeera Network accepted the award on behalf of Al Jazeera English.
This is the second year in a row that Al Jazeera English has been recognized with the award. This year’s nominees included BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 5, CNN International and Bloomberg. The panel of judges for the award was made up of senior representatives from the broadcasting industry.
“It is an honour to receive this award for the second year in a row and to be recognised by our peers in the industry as a leading source of news and current affairs programming,” said Salah Nagm, Director of News for Al Jazeera English. “In our short time on air, AJE has worked hard to fill a void in international news by providing coverage of key regions of the world. We are pleased to be part of Freesat’s strong line-up of channels and their rapidly growing UK platform.”
The judging panel commended Al Jazeera for the following reasons: “Al Jazeera was the standout channel for the panel, telling stories no-one else does and helping viewers discover things about other countries that just aren’t reported elsewhere. We like its journalism and impartiality and the way it shows a completely different window on the world.”
Since its launch in 2006, Al Jazeera English has been recognized for its distinguished reporting and programming including being awarded “Best 24 Hour News Programme” at the 48th and 50th Annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival. AJE has also received awards from RTS, Amnesty International and YouTube and has received nominations for international Emmy awards in both the News and Current Affairs categories and the Royal Television Society awards as the 2009 “News Channel of the Year”.
Al Jazeera English, the global 24-hour English language world news channel based in the Middle East, is launching on SkyCable.
It's an exciting new development for Filipino viewers who want a fresh new perspective on world affairs. Al Jazeera, home to household names such Veronica Pedrosa, Sir David Frost and Riz Khan, will be made available to SkyCable's digital subscribers in Metro Manila beginning August 15.
Phil Lawrie, Director of Global Distribution at Al Jazeera Network, comments:
'This new partnership with SkyCable is yet another step forward for Al Jazeera English in Asia. I'm delighted that more Filipino viewers will now have access to our world-class news coverage offering refreshingly alternative local, regional and global perspectives. We comprehensively cover the Philippines from our Manila bureau, headed by internationally acclaimed correspondent, Marga Ortigas; our Kuala Lumpur Broadcast Centre is at the heart of the Asia Pacific region and our global network of 69 bureaus and Broadcast Centres provides viewers with an unrivalled worldwide newsgathering reach.'
Ray Montinola, SkyCable Vice President for Marketing, adds, 'We are happy to make Al Jazeera's content available to more Filipino viewers, providing them with fresh perspectives and insights on news and issues from developing countries similar to ours. Together with the other news channels in our line-up, Al Jazeera completes an unbeatable news block.'
Al Jazeera English is available from August 15th on SkyCable channel 152. Al Jazeera English broadcasts to over 150 million households worldwide and has just been nominated for Emmy awards in both the News and Current Affairs categories for the second successive year.
Al Jazeera Network has unveiled a new contract with TSF On Sat that takes the channel to over 3.2 million households across Spain on the Hispasat satellite network. Al Jazeera English (AJE) currently reaches over 120 million households worldwide.
Al Jazeera English programming will be broadcast on TSF's satellite platform and on digital terrestrial television services in Northern Spain and Southern France (including Barcelona, the whole Pyrennes and touristic Costa Brava area); on cable in all Spanish and French major cities and on the station's Internet channel. Up to 40 Spanish independent local TV stations in Spain are affiliated to TSF.
Phil Lawrie, Director of Global Distribution for the Al Jazeera Network commented: "This is yet another excellent advance for Al Jazeera English in the region. This new partnership demonstrates the continuing strong demand for AJE in Europe, where we now reach over 50 million households.'
Lídia Nadal, TSF Europe's C.E.O. added: "Al Jazeera English is a very independent and impartial world news channel. Our partnership will be a very good news for all TSF On Sat's viewers".
Al Jazeera English can be seen three hours a day on TSF On Sat on satellite Hispasat, covering most of Europe.
Al Jazeera English has won the award for 'Best 24 Hour News Program' at the prestigious 48th Monte Carlo Television Festival.
Qatar: Saturday, June 14 - 2008
The Award recognized Al Jazeera English's extensive international reach and efforts to dig deeper to give its international audience a richer understanding of the events that affect their lives.
Al Jazeera English beat impressive entries from BBC News, Sky News, Lisboa TV and the Phoenix Satellite Television Company to take home the award.
Among the specific reports highlighted at the Festival were Nour Odeh's groundbreaking reports from Gaza, where she brought the suffering of the Gazan people to life when she was caught in the middle of a violent street battle between Hamas and Fatah.
While shooting live in Gaza, Nour and her producer Ashraf Al-Amritti lost contact with the newsroom in Doha and were forced to rely on their mobile phone to continue reporting events as they occurred.
Once the live video feed returned, Nour's cameraman, Iyad Al-Dahdouh, filmed the continued fighting while coming under RPG and small arms fire.
Following the broadcast of the fighting on Al Jazeera, both sides in the Gaza battles agreed to a ceasefire.
In addition to 'Best 24 Hour News Program', AJE received nominations in every news category at the awards show, including 'Best TV Item' for James Bays' Taliban Embedded, which was awarded a second place prize, and 'Best News Documentary' for Tony Birtley's Inside Myanmar - The Crackdown.
Commenting on the nominations, AJE's Managing Director Tony Burman said, 'I am very excited that the AJE Newshour has been recognized as the best 24 hour news program in the world. For me, the award demonstrates the commitment of AJE's staff to giving a voice to the voiceless, of telling vital stories that are not on the agenda of the western news networks. Whether risking their lives to cover the bloodshed in Gaza, to travel with a Taliban cell in Afghanistan or to tell the world the real story from inside Myanmar, where we are the only international broadcaster with a permanent presence, AJE employees are telling the untold story and are putting real people back at the center of the news agenda. I am extremely proud that the world is paying attention to the hard work and dedication of the AJE staff, and each and every one of them should be congratulated for this recognition.'
Al Jazeera English launched in November 2006 with the goal of balancing the flow of news from the global south to the north and covering stories which are rarely seen in international news broadcasts.
Using broadcast centers strategically placed in Kuala Lumpur, Doha, London and Washington, DC and bureaus around the world, AJE is posed to continue bringing its unique perspective on world events to over 110 million households around the world.
Business 24/7 reports that the most high-profile US face on Al Jazeera's English language service has quit the network, citing increasing editorial control by the Qatar-based management, according to reports.
"To put it bluntly, the channel that's on now – while excellent, and I plan to be a lifetime viewer – is not the channel that I signed up to do," Dave Marash, a former ABC network correspondent, told The New York Times.
He said that the 24-hour Doha-based network had started exercising increasing editorial control not only over its Washington bureau, but also over the European and Asian broadcasting hubs in London and Kuala Lumpur.
"They started covering the whole world very well, but from the point of view and the interests of Doha and the surrounding region," he said.
Editorial input from the Washington bureau, he said, "small at the start, has gotten smaller and smaller."
On Wednesday, Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported that Al Jazeera's management wanted to focus resources on consolidating popularity among its core audience in the Middle East.
The Guardian said that more than 15 staff had quit in recent months amid complaints of a lack of clarity over its direction, contractual disputes and speculation over a relaunch later this year.
Al Jazeera launched its English channel in 2006, bidding to become a big name in global broadcasting and taking on the long-established BBC and CNN.
Among other big name Western journalists recruited by the channel were award-winning former ITV and BBC British broadcaster David Frost.
It has four regional broadcasting centers in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington, as well as some 18 bureaux.
The English-language network is available in more than 100 million households in 60 countries but is not carried by any major US cable provider. (AFP)
Read more at Business 24/7.
Al Jazeera English has announced a new deal with one of Asia's leading cable operators, Hong Kong Cable Limited, for the channel to broadcast in Hong Kong. The channel now reaches over 100 million households worldwide.
Al Jazeera English is dedicated to building its presence across Asia to give viewers access to its groundbreaking content. The channel's unique editorial mission to transform global news is supported in Asia by its Kuala Lumpur Broadcast Centre, dozens of Asian bureaus and correspondents that include household names such as news anchors Veronica Pedrosa and Teymoor Nabili.
Hong Kong Cable is one of Hong Kong's leading subscription television providers and is among the territory's top five media with a firmly established platform in news, movies, sports and general entertainment.
Al Jazeera English is the first English language global news and current affairs channel to be headquartered in the Middle East, in Doha, Qatar. From this unique position the channel is setting the global news agenda with fearless, impartial, and independent journalism. Al Jazeera English's dedicated page on YouTube is home to the website's most watched news channel.
Al Jazeera will debut on Hong Kong Cable on January 16, 2008 and will be carried as Channel 34 on the platform.
Al Jazeera English announces a new deal with one of Asia's leading cable operators, Hong Kong Cable Limited, for the channel to broadcast in Hong Kong.
The agreement is yet another step forward for Al Jazeera English's rapid distribution growth - the channel now reaches over 100 million households worldwide. Al Jazeera English is dedicated to building its presence across Asia to give viewers access to its groundbreaking content. The channel's unique editorial mission to transform global news is supported in Asia by its Kuala Lumpur Broadcast Centre, dozens of Asian bureaus and correspondents that include household names such as news anchors Veronica Pedrosa and Teymoor Nabili.
Hong Kong Cable is one of Hong Kong's leading subscription television providers and is among the territory's top five media with a firmly established platform in news, movies, sports and general entertainment.
'News has always been our flagship programme and the addition of Al Jazeera will further enhance the width and depth of our news service with the channel's unique content and perspective. I have little doubt that the channel will be welcomed by our viewers,' said Mr Benjamin Tong, Executive Director of Hong Kong Cable Television Limited.
Al Jazeera English is the first English language global news and current affairs channel to be headquartered in the Middle East, in Doha, Qatar. From this unique position the channel is setting the global news agenda with fearless, impartial, and independent journalism. Al Jazeera English's dedicated page on YouTube is home to the website's most watched news channel.
Phil Lawrie, Al Jazeera Network's Director of Global Distribution said, 'We are excited about reaching a sizeable new audience in this important market and working with an established and industry-leading partner. This agreement underlines the importance of the Asian region to our next phase of growth and we are looking forward to a long and highly successful relationship with Hong Kong Cable.'
Al Jazeera will debut on Hong Kong Cable on January 16, 2008 and will be carried as Channel 34 on the platform.
Al Jazeera English marked its first anniversary on November 15 2007. One of the major issues has been how the station is received in the USA.
In terms of size and budget compared with CNN and Fox News, many call Al Jazeera a “little matchbox” but, when it comes to richness of representation, diversity of opinion and plurality of views it appears well prepared to take on the corporate news media on its merits.
Based on the popularity of its website in the US, the TV station has potential but is unable to realize it with all the 'politcial' obstacles it faces.
In Germany, Al-Jazeera English is now one of the most quoted international media outlets, far ahead of CNN and neck-and-neck with the Washington Post.
Read more at RapidTVNews.
AMEInfo reports that Al Jazeera's English language channel has more than 20,000 subscribers to its online service in the USA; which means that viewers are passing cable operators who are reluctant to carry the channel.
Online viewers pay $6 per month for a 24/7 live stream of the channel. Even more people are watching clips of Al Jazeera on YouTube, according to TV executives.
