Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based newscaster, has signed a major distribution deal with the BBC. The channel, owned by MBC, has optioned 100 hours of factual content from BBC Worldwide including a number of shows about Middle-Eastern issues such as Palestine – The First Intifada and Mohammed Reza Pahlavi – The Last Shah. The broadcaster will air the in-house produced programmes, which also include Alan Yentobs BBC 1 arts programme Leonardo, over the next few years.
Al-Arabiya is a 24-hour news channel which airs across the world servicing around 130 million Arabic speaking people.