“Arabic channels’ diffidence to speak the ‘other’ language… A case study of the Al Jazeera International Channel [ Atlantis Ballroom ]
Wednesday, 12 May 2010 02:00 PM – 03:15 PM
Connecting with Western audiences continues to be a prominent objective of discussion in the Arab world. While the global media have successfully reached out to the Arab Diaspora in Arabic, there has been little effort on the part of Arab television platforms to reciprocate, with the exception of the Al Jazeera News that launched its English language channel more than three years ago.
Today, there are three Western satellite channels transmitting in the Arabic language around the clock. These include the BBC Arabic from the UK, Al Hurra from the US, Russia Today from Russia, as well as Al Alam from Iran. In addition, there are several other channels transmitting in Arabic for a limited number of hours daily, including channels from China, South Korea, the EU, France, Germany and Holland.
Representing the Arab world, Al Jazeera International remains the only English language channel transmitting 24/7 at the global level.
This session aims to examine the case study of Al Jazeera International and assess the need for Arab channels to transmit in other languages.
Topics:
- Prominence of Al Jazeera International in the English language space.
- Arab content in Al Jazeera International
- The need for reaching out to new world power houses such as China, India and Brazil, and who should take the initiative?
Moderator:
Speakers:
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