A Saudi satellite news channel went on air 11 January 2004. Al-Ikhbariya is the fourth TV channel transmitting from the kingdom but the first to specialise in news and current affairs. Initially on air for 12 hours a day, it will eventually transmit around the clock. The channel has 46 correspondents in the country and abroad, and in a Saudi first, includes three Saudi women among its news anchors.
Al-Ikhbariya joins a growing number of regional satellite news channels, led by Qatar’s Al-Jazeera and Dubai-based Al-Arabiya, which is Saudi-owned.