While declining to set a timetable, a top CNN official reiterated that the news channel had aspirations to expand the scope of its programming in Arabic.
"We certainly have aspirations, but setting any sort of schedule at this stage would be wishful thinking," said Chris Cramer, managing director of CNN International, to a query whether CNN would consider taking the step of having a 24-hour channel in Arabic at some point in the future.
"We started off with the Arabic Web channel in January 2002. That was a modest beginning, but it represented strong opportunities for us as regards the future. And we are very pleased with our operations now.
"For any move to localise our content, there has to be a justification. And this has to be matched by resources. "Nobody gives us any money to do whatever we want - our advertising people have to earn it."
CNN has local language content in Spanish, Turkish and German. In March, it launched CNNj which is in English, but with Japanese translation available 18 hours a day.
Since getting a firm footing during the first Gulf War in 1990, CNN has expanded its reach to currently cover 10 million households across the region.
During the more recent war in Iraq, the CNN Arabia site saw traffic shoot up by over 60 per cent on a daily basis during the first few days of the conflict.
On March 30, the first full day of the conflict, CNN recorded 236 million page impressions worldwide.
According to Ron Ciccone, senior vice-president and managing director for Turner Broadcasting System Europe, "There is a very special bond between this region and CNN. Of course, there have been differences of opinion on issues. However, that has not altered the bond that has been developed over the years."
The extent of advertising generated from the Middle East has also grown during the period.From around four clients a decade ago, the number has shot up to 40, including such names as Dubai International Airport, Dubai Duty Free and Orascom of Egypt.
CNN operates five bureaus in the region, with bases in Beirut, Baghdad, Dubai, Cairo and Jerusalem.
It also has affiliations with regional broadcasters such as Abu Dhabi TV, Bahrain Radio and TV, Cable Network Egypt and Lebanon Broadcasting Corp.
Apart from the Middle East, Asia has offered big gains for the Atlanta headquartered CNN in the last two years. Key markets include India and China, where the company sees long term potential.
Gulf News
