Cablers hardly Jaz'd over net
Al-Jazeera Int'l still seeking U.S. hookup
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The English-language spinoff of the Arabic-language news network said it expects to have 40 million worldwide subscribers when it launches, but the company is still seeking its first U.S. cable or satellite deal.
"There is still a negative perception of the Al-Jazeera brand," said Al-Jazeera Intl. commercial director Lindsey Oliver, who is taking her case to U.S. cable and satellite operators this week.
The next step, she said, is to go to communities with large Arab-American populations, such as Detroit, and win public support for the net. "What I'm trying to convince cable operators is if they do not have this channel, they are going to lose out," she said.
The English-language Al-Jazeera spinoff will have a huge editorial presence in the U.S., with its main broadcast center in the Americas being built in Washington, D.C. Its other broadcast centers will be in London; Doha, Qatar; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Net has made some high-profile signings, including British former BBC personality David Frost and former CNN anchor Riz Khan.
With much of the editorial staff now in place, Oliver is taking taped demos to show cable and satellite operators, many of whom have never watched an Al-Jazeera broadcast.
A spokesman for Comcast characterized talks with Al-Jazeera as "preliminary" but declined to say if he expects the nation's largest cabler, and the dominant carrier in the D.C. area, to carry the network.
Oliver said the net is close to inking carriage agreements in countries with large Arab populations such as Germany, France, Malaysia and parts of North Africa as well as the Nordic region.
While the U.S. presents a tough sell, in part because Al-Jazeera has broadcast tapes from terrorists, the Arab world presents its own hurdles as the Qatar-based network seeks to convince operators there that the English-language version is a separate, distinct product.
"Of course, there is going to be some crossover," but most people don't speak both English and Arabic, Oliver said. "Even from the point of view of actual programming, Al-Jazeera Intl. is a truly global channel.
She says Arab cable buyers assume the new service is going to be a translated version of the Arabic channel.
While Al-Jazeera works to win carriage for its English-language version, the BBC is prepping its own Arabic-language service to debut in 2007. Al-Jazeera began rolling out a children's network in September.
As much of the Western world remains focused on the Middle East, Al-Jazeera is attempting to capitalize on the moment to create a global broadcast power based in the Arab world.
Backed by Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, ruler of oil-rich Qatar, Al-Jazeera touts its international channel as a competitor to BBC and CNN, the prevailing powers in international news, with a unique expertise in the Arab world.
