The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) plans to launch an Arabic news television channel in 2007, BBC officials have confirmed.
The channel will compete with Arabic news giants such as Al-Jazeera, frequently accused of espousing pro-Arab and anti-Western stands.
Arabic news stations have dramatically changed news consumption habits of Arabic speakers in the Middle East since satellite channels began broadcasting less than a decade ago.
The BBC channel will be the corporation’s first publicly funded global TV service.
It will initially broadcast for 12 hours a day.
Before the new channel is launched, the BBC will end its services in ten foreign languages. More than 200 people will be made redundant, in a move which is peeving workers’ unions. But the BBC said an estimated 148 jobs will be created through the new enterprise.
The BBC denies that transferring funding from European services to Arabic television is a political move.
The BBC has maintained a successful Arabic radio service broadcast throughout the Middle East for more than 60 years. More recently the broadcasts have also become available via the Internet.
While The BBC is seeking a stronger foothold in the Middle East, Arabic channels are searching for more impact in the West. The influential Qatar-based Al-Jazeera is preparing to launch a round-the-clock English language channel in 2006.