Al Jazeera English, the international news channel based in Doha, is now available in Africa thanks to a deal with MultiChoices DStv platform. The channel went on the air on DStv channel 62 on 31 May 2007 at 10.00 CAT (Central African Time).
Al Jazeera English is the first English language global news and current affairs channel to be headquartered in the Middle East and broadcasts to more than 90 million cable and satellite households worldwide. The channel – which boasts one of the largest international newsgathering operations of any broadcaster – is also available through live streaming and via YouTube.
Al Jazeera English has a strong presence and high level of expertise in Africa through its bureaus and dedicated resources. The Channel currently has bureaus in Cairo – Egypt, Abidjan – Ivory Coast, Nairobi – Kenya, Johannesburg – South Africa and Harare – Zimbabwe and shares the resources of Al Jazeera Arabic Channels African bureaus located in Ndjamena- Chad, Tripoli- Libya, Nouakchott- Mauritania, Rabat- Morocco, Dakar- Senegal, Mogadishu-Somalia, Johannesburg- South Africa and Khartoum- Sudan.
MultiChoices General Manager of Content, Aletta Alberts said, We are pleased at the addition of Al Jazeera English to our platform as it will further enhance our offering. My team and I are constantly challenged to ensure that our content continues to engage our very diverse customers. We believe that the Al Jazeera English channel will help achieve this, as it provides news and information across cultures, providing a new perspective and also exposure to stories previously untold.
Director General of the Al Jazeera Network, Wadah Khanfar said, Our deep commitment to the profession of journalism and our broad presence in Africa with our dedicated resources bring an additional depth of coverage to the important issues and stories in Africa. We are excited at the access that this agreement has given viewers in Africa and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Multichoice.
Nigel Parsons, Managing Director at Al Jazeera English commented, We are delighted that MultiChoice will be carrying Al Jazeera English and that they recognise the growing hunger for accurate, impartial and objective news. This agreement allows MultiChoice to offer people more choice in their news consumption.