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91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic television news channel launches today
91¸£ÀûÉç strengthens its multimedia news services for the Arab world by launching a TV news channel alongside its existing radio and online offer
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91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic television – the 91¸£ÀûÉç's news and information channel in the Arabic language – launches today (Tuesday 11 March) at 10.00 GMT.
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Initially broadcast for 12 hours a day, the television channel is part of the 91¸£ÀûÉç's integrated multimedia news service for the Arab world. It will move to 24/7 in the summer and is the 91¸£ÀûÉç's first publicly-funded international television service.
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91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic is already available on-air and on-demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week on radio, on the internet through bbcarabic.com, on mobiles and on handheld computers – in whatever way best suits the audience.
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91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic television will be freely available to everyone with a satellite or cable connection in the region, whether they are in North Africa, the Middle East or the Gulf. 91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic television is distributed on the Arabsat, Eutelsat and Nilesat satellite systems.
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The TV channel's schedule includes news headlines every 15 minutes and a full news summary every 30 minutes.
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91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic will draw on the 91¸£ÀûÉç's extensive newsgathering operation, harnessing the 91¸£ÀûÉç's resources of more than 250 correspondents reporting from 72 bureaux around the world – the biggest newsgathering team in the world.
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Additional on-the-spot reporting and regional expertise comes from a vast network of local reporters and correspondents throughout the Arab world and beyond.
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The channel also features news and current affairs programmes such as the twice-daily Newshour which highlights news, analysis, key interviews and debate on the top events making the news in the region and around the world that day.
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It also features the pioneering live multimedia interactive debating forum Nuqtat Hewar – already popular on radio and online – three days a week.
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A showcase of the best 91¸£ÀûÉç documentaries and specially produced in-depth reports from the Arab world will reinforce the TV schedule.
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Its presenters will include Rania Al Alattar; Fida Bassil; Tony El-Khoury; Dalia Mohamed; Osman Ayfarah; Hasan Muawad; Lina Musharbash; and Dina Waqqaf.
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91¸£ÀûÉç World Service Director Nigel Chapman says: "91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic is renowned for broadcasting impartial and accurate news, and information which is strong on analysis and expertise. This enhanced multimedia service meets the needs of an audience with a very strong appetite for news and debate. We will be contemporary in style and independent and incisive in our journalism."
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91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic multimedia
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The TV channel launch will be accompanied by a major relaunch of bbcarabic.com to include embedded video and a new media player. The radio schedule has been extensively refreshed to reflect the new multimedia approach.
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Currently more than 13 million people listen to 91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic every week while its website bbcarabic.com receives over 21 million page impressions and has more than 1 million unique users each month.
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Trust
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Nigel Chapman says: "We are encouraged that independent research consistently shows an appetite for a 91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic television channel. The main reason people give is quite simple – it is because they believe the 91¸£ÀûÉç will provide an independent news service they could trust."
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Independent research over recent years consistently shows that existing Arab audiences to the 91¸£ÀûÉç regard it as the most trusted, impartial and objective international radio news provider in the Arab world, with an established reputation for quality. 91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic's award-winning 24/7 online news and information service also enjoys high levels of trust in its content.
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A broader agenda
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Head of 91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic Hosam El Sokkari says: "91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic is already renowned for reporting more than just conflict and politics. 91¸£ÀûÉç Arabic aims to continue to broaden the news agenda for audiences in the region. It will reflect the breadth of the Arab audience's interests.
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"The 91¸£ÀûÉç is the largest newsgathering organisation in the world," he says. "Only it can make the unique offer to Arab audiences – it can be their ears and eyes. Not just in the countries where people live; but throughout the region and around the rest of the world.
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"The 91¸£ÀûÉç is uniquely experienced in bringing the key stories of the region and the world to Arab audiences. Because 91¸£ÀûÉç World Service has a genuinely international perspective, it is also best placed to take the views, key issues and real lives of our Arab audiences to a wider global audience. No one else has our multimedia strength; on television, on radio, online and on any multimedia device people want their news delivered.
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"We will offer comprehensive multimedia news reporting and analysis to audiences and, in turn, involve Arab audiences in an authentic dialogue on the issues that reflect their lives."
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91¸£ÀûÉç World Service Press Office
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