The Doha-based broadcaster to launch a YouTube branded Channel
DOHA 16 April 2007 - Al Jazeera English today announced plans to begin making clips from its news and programmes available to the YouTube community by launching a branded Channel (http://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) on the popular video-sharing site.
YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience.
YouTube users worldwide will have the ability to comment on Al Jazeera English clips, rate them, recommend them to friends and post their own video responses to communicate with other viewers.
The new branded Channel will also include links to Al Jazeera English's official website (www.aljazeera.net/english).
Content from the new global broadcaster will include segments from top shows such as Frost over the World, Everywoman, Inside Iraq, Inside Story, Listening Post, Riz Khan, One-on-One, The Fabulous Picture Show, Witness and 48.
Al Jazeera English is also planning to release some exclusive web-only programming, starting with Poltical Bytes, a global conversation hosted by UN correspondent Mark Seddon which will ask the YouTube community to carry on the conversation and add video contributions.
Over time, Al Jazeera English will continue to provide new content to the site by adding at least 10-15 new clips each week.
Speaking on the announcement, Nigel Parsons, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English said: "We believe that YouTube is a perfect platform to reach out to our audience and to give wide and easy access to new viewers around the world. We have significantly built on our distribution since launch and now reach well in access of 90 million cable and satellite households worldwide. With YouTube's community of millions of online users this is set to dramatically increase."
Commenting on the launch, Russell Merryman, editor-in-chief, Web & New Media at Al Jazeera English: "The new Al Jazeera English branded Channel on YouTube will allow us to approach and interact with our viewers in a new way and will give us a chance to target other potential audiences through this new global platform. It is a perfect way to promote our best content and set the news agenda for Internet users around the world."
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About Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English is the world's first English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. Broadcasting from within the Middle East, looking outwards, Al Jazeera English sets the news agenda and acts as a bridge between cultures. With unique access as the channel of reference for Middle East events, and broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC, Al Jazeera English balances the information flow from South to North, providing accurate, impartial and objective news for a global audience from a grass roots level, giving voice to different perspectives from under-reported regions around the world.
Al Jazeera English is building on the ground-breaking heritage of its sister Arab-language channel - Al Jazeera, which was responsible for changing the face of news within the Middle East, now extending that fresh perspective from regional to global.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON AL JAZEERA ENGLISH PLEASE CONTACT THE PRESS OFFICE ON:
US:
Molly Conroy/ Marc Smrikarov:
+1 212 486 7070
Email : aljazeera_intl@brownlloydjames.com
UK:
Deborah Coleman:
+44 207 201 2819
Email: press.int@aljazeera.net
Qatar:
Lana Khachan/Charlotte Dent:
+974 489 2320/2321
Email: press.int@aljazeera.net
© Press Release 2007
