Al Jazeera takes another crack at US

Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media Network is planning to make its English-language international news channel available to US viewers via digital platforms.

The move comes three months after the Middle Eastern firm shut down its US cablenet Al Jazeera America (AJAM), claiming its business model was “simply not sustainable” in the current economic climate.

But Al Jazeera English (AJE) is now in talks with cable platforms behind the now defunct Al Jazeera America to make its live video stream available stateside, according to an email to staff.

“I am pleased to be able to say that, all going well, AJE will be available in the US across digital platforms in September,” read the email from Giles Trendle, acting MD of AJE and director of programmes.

“The exact date will be fixed once we get the green light from our legal team, who have been concluding deals with the cable carriers of AJAM.” The memo did not specify which cable carriers were involved in the discussions.

AJE currently reaches more than 305 million households in more than 160 countries, but as it stands, US viewers cannot access its live-stream coverage.

Al Jazeera acquired Al Gore’s Current TV for US$500m in January 2013 and relaunched it as AJAM in August that year.

It had aimed to compete with US cable news channels with in-depth reporting of news and current affairs, and spent millions of dollars hiring leading US journalists.

However, it struggled to garner eyeballs and shake off the reputation of its parent channel, which was known in the US for broadcasting videos from Osama Bin Laden post 9/11. The channel was also the subject of numerous lawsuits.

Al Anstey replaced former CEO Ehab Al Shihabi in May last year but the move failed to spark a turnaround in fortunes.