Sky News has announced the launch date of its new Arabic 24-hour news channel next month promising ‘a fresh approach’to news reporting in the region.
Set up as a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC) and British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), Sky News Arabia will go live on Sunday 6 May.
The channel has been in 24-hour rehearsals ahead of the launch and will employ 400 journalists, including 16 presenters
Head of the channel Nart Bouran said it would maintain an ‘independent editorial mandate”, adding: ‘Our aim has been to create an impartial and independent breaking news channel for the Arab world across multiple platforms.
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‘It has been a huge collaborative team effort resulting in the most technically advanced news operation in the region.”
The Sky News Arabia digital platform has been active since its website launched in February, attracting more than 100,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter.
Based in Abu Dhabi, the channel will broadcast politics, business, sport and culture news from across the Middle East and North Africa, to an estimated 50 million homes in the region.
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The new channel will face competition from BBC, Al Jazeera, Al Arabeya and France 24.
Sky News Arabia will have 12 bureaus across the region.
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