Comcast pulls plug on English language Al-Jazeera

[villager]

Yanked by yanks

Comcast backs away from Arab net

By ALI JAAFAR

LONDON -- Al-Jazeera Intl. has all but conceded defeat in its effort to gain U.S. distribution in time for its worldwide launch Wednesday.

Execs at the nascent English-language offshoot of the Arab broadcaster said Comcast Communications pulled the plug on talks Monday on a deal the net considered essential to gaining a beachhead in the U.S.

The Associated Press last week reported Comcast had pulled out of talks but, in fact, negotiations continued, with Comcast offering to roll out the channel regionally. Comcast is the dominant operator in the Detroit area, which has one of the nation's largest Arab-American populations.

But AJI execs were holding out for a full rollout across all of Comcast's 12.1 million digital subscribers (Comcast has 24 million digital and analog subs), and they believed a deal was imminent.

"We thought we were just awaiting signatures. We feel like we've been led down the garden path. It's a setback for us in the States, but I don't want this to overshadow the fact we've had phenomenal figures in the rest of the world," said one AJI employee who insisted on anonymity.

Sources within AJI speculated the reasons for the pullout had to do with U.S. uncertainty about Al-Jazeera's editorial agenda. Negative portrayals of the situation in Iraq are widely thought to have contributed to the Democratic sweep of the midterm elections.

<snip>

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117953878.html?categoryid=10&cs=1

[aquart]

1. God, we are a backward, dimwitted nation.

I'm a pro-Israel Jew and I WANT an English language Al Jazeera where I can see a different viewpoint.

[lakercub]

2. Not much foreign news at all

IIRC my DirecTV has a BBC channel and then things like CNN world. The rest is MSNBC, CNBC, FOX *shudder*, Bloomberg, CNN, etc. It is amazing that I can't get 5 to 10 sources of global news with all those channels (at least 6 home shopping networks). It's no wonder Americans are woefully ignorant of events beyond our borders.

[Up2Late]

6. Wow, you only have 6 Home Shopping channels?

I bet I have at LEAST 10 and about 10-12 Religion (All Christian) channels here in the Atlanta Metro on my Comcast Digital Cable. And don't even get me started on all the Sports Channels.

I would settle for english Subtitles or Closed Captioning for the Spanish Networks. I get more actual News watching the Univision Newscast (and I understand almost no Spanish) than I get from CNN or MSNBC, I don't even bother with Fox "news."

[noonwitch]

14. I miss the spanish channels, since I moved from Detroit to Warren

We have a subscription arab channel, though, but it's not al-jeezera.

I used to love to watch the mexican soap operas on Univision. They have the appearance of american soaps in the 70s and early 80s. I also felt I was picking up a little spanish by watching them, too.

[Up2Late]

3. Well thank God or Alla or whatever you want to call the same conceptual being...

Thank ______ we won't have to face the reality of what's actually happening in Iraq or how much the rest of the world now hates us. :sarcasm:

"...Negative portrayals of the situation in Iraq..."??? Is their still anyone who thinks there is a way to Positively Portray Iraq???

[Why Syzygy]

5. exactly .. n/t

[saigon68]

16. there is a way to Positively Portray Iraq???

here it is

DEATH TO THE ISLAMICS

there is a way to Positively Portray Iraq???

[Why Syzygy]

4. Al Jeer

is not on my breakfast list. Better news from the UK. I hate to say, I'm on Comcast's side on this one.

There has never been any "good news" out of Iraq. It has sucked from day one.

[azurnoir]

7. They pulled out because of fear of bad news

from Iraq? News Flash we already know.
Truely though I am disappointed. For those who have satellite, there are other ways of getting foreign news, it takes knowledge of sat coordinates, and a bit of tech know how but not all satellite signals are encrypted and some are quite easy and legal to get.

[Up2Late]

9. It's also very easy to get News from other counties with this new internet service TVU...

...that is just getting up and running out of China (I think it's from China): <http://www.tvunetworks.com/>

I've used it on and off since July and I am absolutely sure it has no Spyware or Viruses in the software!

NOTE: I do have to switch to the WindowsXP Firewall (turn off the Norton Firewall/turn on the WindowsXP Firewall) for it to connect, and some channels load and buffer faster than others, and some channels are better than others.

The German Channel (DW TV) is very cool, they have HBO, but I don't know from where, and they recently added the West Coast Comedy Central feed too!

[Recursion]

23. They pulled it because AJ didn't want to be bundled...

...with the "ethnic" channels. More to the point, AJ wanted more money.

Also, AJ is state-owned (Qatar, IIRC), which is always problematic.

[lvx35]

8. Look at the transparent desire to prop up Republicans...

"Sources within AJI speculated the reasons for the pullout had to do with U.S. uncertainty about Al-Jazeera's editorial agenda. Negative portrayals of the situation in Iraq are widely thought to have contributed to the Democratic sweep of the midterm elections."

Outrageous...But at least they've given up on the "we can't let you see the truth for security reasons" BS, its now out in the open that Comcast is depriving consumers only to help republicans.

[Hieronymus]

10. That's why the US ranks 56 or 57 for freedom of the press.

[villager]

15. the one area...

...Americans don't worry about being "number one" in, eh?

[aaronbees]

33. And why many Americans have....

this much knowledge about the world outside our borders:








.

[nicknameless]

11. The reich-wing seems to be dumping media that shows bushco in a negative light.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=109&topic_id=28027&mesg_id=28027

[Ian David]

12. If they carry Fox "News" then they should carry Al Jazeera.

Otherwise, they should dump Al Murdochza.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Ironically, Murdoch's BSkyB satellite will carry it for the UK

Murdoch is quite happy to regard it as just another business deal. But then he probably won't get idiotic freeper politicians in Britain putting pressure on him to censor it here.

[ChoralScholar]

13. They've carried Al-Jazeera in it's native language

on Dish network for some time (international package).

They will probably add the English version soon.

Many on the Dish Network boards are fuming about it. F

or the most inane and xenophobic bullshit on the issue ever, see this thread at DBSTalk:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=69016

[phusion]

17. Al-Jazeera reports the truth...

wouldn't want that now, would we?

[David__77]

18. I would advise them to use an English translation of their name in the US.

...

[villager]

20. from a sheer semiotics standpoint, that may be an idea...

so people could just "listen" and become their own, well, "deciders..."

[hogwyld]

19. Isn't censorship just grand???

Control the message, and you control the sheeple

[Miss Chybil]

22. It's always the "portrayals" and never the "facts." nt

[pinniped]

24. Concass sucks.

[Heidi]

25. Kick.

:kick:

[gorbal]

26. Al Jazeera English all set to launch

Al Jazeera's English-language television news channel is all set to reach 80 million homes worldwide.

At 1200 GMT on Wednesday, Al Jazeera English will begin broadcasting from the network's main studios in Doha, Qatar.

The first such international news and current affairs channel with its headquarters in the Middle East, it will far exceed the original launch target of 40 million cable and satellite households.

(snip)-

And check it out-

In addition to cable, ADSL, mobile platforms and satellite, Al Jazeera English will be available as a live stream to the one billion users of the internet worldwide.

Al Jazeera's English website, aljazeera.net/english will also be re-launched on Wednesday at 12 GMT to reflect the television's look and editorial content.

It will provide live streams of the channel, together with RSS feeds, e-mail newsletters and interactive discussion boards.

more here-


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6BB60A7B-C169-4762-87ED-415752862B5E.htm

[IndianaGreen]

27. This is long overdue and is very welcome

Most of Al-Jazeera's correspondents used to work for the BBC World Service.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

28. I wonder if this has something to do with FOX news

going to the Middle East. I remember something from the Daily Show where a guest said something about FOX buying a station in Iraq.

[gorbal]

29. Wait a minute-is it launching or is it not launching?

I thought that comcast story was from a while ago?

[jpwhite]

30. what are they so afraid of?

What are these guys so afraid of? The fact that there are a lot of civilians being killed? That would make things look really bad wouldn't it?

James
[e-mail]

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. Losing money

Who is going to wnat to advertise on this channel?

[ChoralScholar]

32. Update: Dish network backs out too.

They will, however, continue to carry the native language version on International channels.