The service, which is being developed by a London-based technology company partially backed by Microsoft Corp., has also signed up a number of other news networks, including Bloomberg Television and BBC World. Higher-quality transmissions were also available for a price.Ī few months before the Gaza offensive began, the network began the same broadcasts on a new Web-based platform known as Livestation, which allows users to watch high-quality broadcasts online live and for free. Politics aside, there is little question that the Gaza war gave the station a viewership boost – similar to what CNN got on cable in the 1991 Gulf War.įrom its start, Al-Jazeera English has offered grainy, low-resolution access to the same broadcasts shown on cable television through its Web site. Its executives say they have no political agenda in coverage of the Mideast. The English channel has a different staff and separate budget from the Arabic network. that carries Al-Jazeera English, has faced pressure and even calls for a ballot initiative to remove the channel by a group that claims the station is anti-American.īut the Internet has made it possible for the network to reach American viewers despite the limitations of its cable television broadcasts. The publicly owned cable system in Burlington, Vt. 11 attacks because of its access to and willingness to air tapes of Osama bin Laden.Ī frustrated President Bush even talked of bombing the Arabic-language channel’s headquarters in 2004, according to a leaked British government memo. Some members of the administration criticized the network after the Sept. The former Bush administration had accused Al-Jazeera’s Arabic station of anti-American bias. cable systems carries Al-Jazeera English, claiming viewer interest is not sufficient. The station says only three small cable operators offer the network in Ohio, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Since Al-Jazeera English went on the air in November 2006, it has struggled to gain a spot on traditional American airwaves. Arab ally that also supports the militant Hamas rulers of Gaza and which recently suspended its low-level ties with Israel to protest the Gaza offensive.įeisty and sometimes graphic coverage of global carnage is an Al-Jazeera specialty, as is bracing commentary that has shaken up the Arab world and rattled the West. The jump in viewership reflects wider trends in global media, where the Web increasingly is the place where viewers go to watch video and social networking sites and citizen journalism are merging with traditional news coverage.Īl-Jazeera English and Arabic are both bankrolled by energy-rich Qatar, a U.S. Those figures show the share of Internet users visiting the site shot up about 22 percent over the last three months, with most of the gains coming since the start of the Gaza conflict. 27, according to Inc.’s Alexa Web tracking site. Traffic to Al-Jazeera’s main Web page, which includes both the English and Arabic sites, spiked once Israeli airstrikes began on Dec. online interest, suggesting the war gave the Arab station its first significant chance to break into the American market. Outside figures also point to big gains in U.S. Overall, the station’s Web video stream saw a 600 percent jump in worldwide viewership during the Gaza offensive – and about 60 percent of those hits came from the United States, according to the station’s internal numbers. “Having reporters in Gaza – which others did not have – that’s what made Al-Jazeera stand out and that’s important on the Internet,” said Jeff Jarvis, who teaches journalism at the City University of New York and writes about media on his blog. Israeli TV focused mostly on Israeli casualty reports and Hamas rocket barrages. “There is an alternative perspective our channel provides, and Gaza was a good example,” Burman said.Īl-Jazeera had another draw: Its reporters were inside Gaza while international networks such as CNN were barred by Israel from sending reporters in throughout the entire war.
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