Al Jazeera English in Talks With Comcast, Time Warner For Cable TV Slot!

[Better Believe It]

Al Jazeera in Talks With Comcast, Time Warner
BY Neal Ungerleider
March 2, 2011

Al Jazeera English may be coming to American television screens. The Qatar-based network is currently in talks with cable giants Comcast and Time Warner, creating a groundswell of enthusiasm among American news junkies and a collective groan from right-leaning conservative activists. At the moment, Al Jazeera English is only available on a handful of local cable outlets in Washington, D.C., Burlington, Vt., and a few other locales.

Executives from Al Jazeera were caught by the Philadelphia press visiting Comcast's headquarters in the northeastern city. To be fair, Al Jazeera has been diligent in letting journalists know that it was lobbying for a Comcast slot. The network sent out a press release announcing that they handed over a massive pile of 13,000 letters from Americans who wanted to watch Al Jazeera English to Comcast executives.

Al Jazeera has organized a web-based promotional campaign called Demand Al Jazeera over the past few years in an attempt to boost its presence on the American cable scene. Despite the network's impeccable news gathering chops, a widespread sentiment exists in the United States--especially among certain segments of the conservative movement and right-leaning pundits such as Bill O'Reilly--that Al Jazeera somehow aids and abets terrorists. In Philadelphia itself, Philadelphia magazine supported Al Jazeera's attempts to get on Comcast with a piece explaining that Al Jazeera is not "anti-American."

Despite its campaign, gaining a slot on American cable could prove difficult for Al Jazeera English. Channel listings on Comcast and Time Warner are dominated by a handful of media giants such as Time Warner (again), Scripps, and Discovery Networks that very much run an old boys' network. Al Jazeera--though rich in influence with news professionals, academics, and politicians--is new arrival with little leverage and a potential market share that is small in numbers, with limited in television-watching hours. But the Arab Revolutions have turned it into a must-watch channel; if there was ever a time for Al Jazeera English to appear on American television screens, it is now.



Read the full article at:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1733536/al-jazeera-in-talks-with-comcast-time-warner#

[knowbody0]

1. we can only hope

[monmouth]

2. Perhaps an opportunity for CurrentTV? I'd support it....n/t

[Dappleganger]

4. Current is on DirecTV.

Are they on Dish and Comcast? My understanding is that they are on the more expensive packages, just like MSNBC.

[Dappleganger]

3. It's a start to more competition

from a REAL news station!

[Turborama]

5. K&R Excellent article well worth reading in full. Thanks for posting.

Some good follow up links in there, too.

BTW, in case you missed it, they placed a full page ad in the NYT last month, as well...



I wish we'd all call them Al Jazeera English and differentiate them from their sister channel. Al Jazeera English is totally different from Al Jazeera Arabic, and people often don't even realise there are two different channels.

On edit, forgot to add this banner, which takes you to their new site, for anyone who may want to join the petition...

http://english.aljazeera.net/demandaljazeera/">

Related OP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x326334#326908">Demand Al Jazeera English In The US

[Better Believe It]

6. Photo of Al Jazeera English newsroom

The newsroom at the headquarters of the Doha, Qatar-based Al Jazeera English channel

[Better Believe It]

7. And of course watch Al Jazeera. The latest from the front lines,

http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

[Buzz Clik]

8. How does this fit with the endless DU claims that US cable companies have censored Al Jazeera?

I countered (at least a dozen times) that our cable companies would carry al Jazeera if there was some money in it.

So ... what is being negotiated? Censorship or money?

:eyes:

[sufrommich]

10. Good question, you won't get an answer, but it's a good question. nt

[Better Believe It]

14. He got an answer from me. Do you watch and like Al Jazeera's news coverage?

[sufrommich]

17. Yes, I do. Why do you ask? nt

[Better Believe It]

18. You do watch and like Al Jazeera's news coverage?

[sufrommich]

19. Yes. Why? nt

[Better Believe It]

20. Because I detected some disagreement with and hostility toward DU'ers who criticized

the cable industry in the posters comment which you responded to.

[sufrommich]

21. Maybe because there were endless OPs claiming that

Al Jazeera is banned in the US? AJ is not banned in the US and never has been.

[Better Believe It]

22. For all practical purposes it has been banned from the U.S. by the big cable companies.

But, maybe they'll now put profit before politics and decide to include Al Zareera English on their systems.

The far right will try to stop that of course.

[FLPanhandle]

11. Logical analysis isn't as sexy as emotional hyperbole

Cable companies will carry anything if it makes them more money, but it's sexier to say Al Jazz is banned.

[Better Believe It]

13. Do you watch and like Al Jazeera's news coverage?

[FLPanhandle]

15. Regularly watch them online.

They are great and better than US news networks.

[Better Believe It]

12. The only cable TV systems that broadcast Al Jazeera are in Washington, D.C. and Burlington, Vermont!

Ya think the cable industry just doesn't know about Al Jazeera's existence?

The right-wingers have been effective in keeping Al Jazeera off the air in the United States.

This is the first time the two major cable companies have even agreed to just sit down and talk with Al Jazeera representatives!

[Jkid]

9. The real question is where will it be located on cable TV?

Basic cable? Extended Cable? or the Expensive $150 a month tier?

[AndyTiedye]

16. The ISP Side of Comcast Must Have Noticed the Gigabits being streamed from AJE

[Bozita]

23. Please make this happen. Please, please!