Al-Jazeera ( English Version) Finds Hurdles in Bid To Air in U.S.

[mdovell]

I would like to see Al-Manar also. Banning it is not good as someone could decide to ban this board and prohibit discussion of FTA! Old phrase, keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. From what I've been able to find, it is only available on Arabsat 2B, it got yanked from Hispsat, etc. Seems like everyone "flipped out" at the prospect of it being received here in the states and stopped it.

Al jezzera is one thing. Generally I don't think that it can be regarded as being bad after you see the movie control room.

almanar I'd say is indefinatly pure propaganda. Now me and you know that but what if your young and take everything from TV as being the truth and real? Heck I grew up in the 80's....with other guys growing up I probably had every wresting move tried on me...

There might be a way of viewing al manar online. The trouble I would see with it would be if someone younger views it and believes it more. If you know it's propaganda it won't effect you...if you do then....

[alhamari]

Does anyone have any idea if Aljazeera English Version have been aired yet? if it did, is it going to reach North America?

[rainman]

Does anyone have any idea if Aljazeera English Version have been aired yet? if it did, is it going to reach North America?

showing on IA5 in test mode right now.

[cwmorrow]

I would like to see Al-Manar also.

Did not some political organization finance Al-Manar? I used to see it when channel surfing FTA.

[Darkman]

showing on IA5 in test mode right now.

Not the actual content though...

Only an Advertising Card

[rainman]

Not the actual content though...

Only an Advertising Card

any idea when they are going to start showing real content?

[Darkman]

Well i found all this info on internet recently...

This is a "combined material" so to speak:

It's reported by several sources currently that Al-Jazeera International will launch this November.. Nov 2006:

Jazeera International will launch in November. And not November 2010 either. This November. ( http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/articl...ews_from_qatar )

---
Also,

AL-JAZEERA PLANS FALL U.S. DEBUT By PETER LAURIA T - New York Post Online Edition: Business: "August 20, 2006 -- The Arab world's No. 1 cable news network is finally coming to America.

The much-delayed launch of the English-language version of the controversial Al-Jazeera network is targeting its launch date on these shores in November.

The date, pushed back from its latest September start date, will coincide with the 10th anniversary of the network.

Ahead of the launch, Al-Jazeera International - which has already signed up famed British broadcaster David Frost -has secured carriage agreements with cable, satellite, telecom and broadband video providers, according to spokesman Michael Holtzman.

'We've gotten carriage across the board,' Holtzman said. 'We just can't identify with whom at this stage because they are at different stages.'

Holtzman said the debut will be available in more than just a smattering of American homes.

'There are major players at the table,' Holtzman said. 'This won't be a tiny toehold; we will have significant access.'

AJI previously stated that it hopes to launch with distribution in at least 40 million homes worldwide. ( http://chicagoray.blogspot.com/2006_...y_archive.html )

---
Meanwhile conrovercy around this is brewing,

1) from mediabistro.com TVNewser:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/...tl/default.asp

--
2) Al Jazeera may air
EchoStar talks with controversial Arab channel about carrying English spinoff

By Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News
April 22, 2006

EchoStar's Dish Network is the only cable or satellite operator in the U.S. publicly willing to consider carrying controversial Arab news channel Al Jazeera's planned English-language spinoff.
Even on Dish, Al Jazeera's attempt to provide an alternative to Western news outlets like BBC World and CNN International isn't likely to appear on any of the satellite-TV operator's popular programming tiers.

"We have several offers and options under consideration, including with EchoStar, but have not yet signed anything," said Rana Jazayerli, a Washington-based spokeswoman for the news channel. "We will make our plans public after we have finalized."

Comcast, which has 700,000 subscribers in Colorado, has had "preliminary conversations" about carrying the network, said spokeswoman Cindy Parsons. She declined further comment, citing the cable operator's policy of not discussing programming negotiations.

DirecTV, the largest satellite-TV operator with 15 million customers, also has talked to Al Jazeera International but "doesn't have any plans to carry it right now," said Jade Ekstedt, spokeswoman for the El Segundo, Calif.-based company.

Douglas County-based EchoStar, whose Dish Network has 12 million subscribers, is interested because a nascent news channel fits with the company's strategy of offering the most international programming, with 126 channels in 28 languages available.

"We would be willing to consider carriage, since we provide the most Arabic channels in the United States," said spokeswoman Kathie Gonzalez. "But we don't release details or status of negotiations with any new channels."
( The entire article is at the following source: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...641999,00.html )

---
3) Will EchoStar/DISH Network Air Al-Jazeera International?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1727854/posts
http://www.stopaljazeera.org/index.html
http://www.stopaljazeera.org/blog/wi...international/

---
4) Al Jazeera goes to US

by Kate Bulkley

Al Jazeera TV International has become the latest channel to sign up for Globecast's 200-channel World TV service, continuing a 30% year-on-year growth of the channel bouquet managed by Globecast for the US market.
"It's grown much faster than we ever expected," said Mary Frost, CEO of Globecast America since August. "Now fully 40% of our US revenue comes from World TV. The reason is that the technology costs have dropped for channels to join the service and customer expectations have grown, with people wanting more access to channels that are of specific interest to them," Frost explained.
World TV provides a bouquet of 200 international channels to an estimated 500,000 homes in the US who largely receive it direct-to-home from Intelsat. Half of the channels are in the clear while the others subscription, managed by Globecast.
( Source: http://www.ibc.org/cgi-bin/ibc_daily...=23700&issue=5 )

[rainman]

thanks for the info Darkman.

[Sadoun]

Excellent. If Globecast carries it, it is a 50/50 chance the channel will be FTA. Anyway, smart part on Globecast. That will increase their market share in the USA and will attract more international channels to join the GC bouquet. I would love to see BBC World and other news channels from Europe.

Maybe it is time for Globecast to increase their bandwidth on IA5 or add another satellite.

[Darkman]

Maybe it is time for Globecast to increase their bandwidth on IA5 or add another satellite.

That would SURELY be great!