Sky News To Launch Arabic Service In 2012

The owner of Sky News announced a joint venture with investment firm Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corp (ADMIC) to bring a new, free-to-air Arabic-language news channel to viewers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from 2012.
ADMIC is owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed al Nahyan, who also owns Manchester City football club.

BSkyB says the new company, based in Abu Dhabi, will operate under the Sky News brand and also offer consumers a "video-rich website and mobile applications".
John Ryley, head of Sky News, said: "This venture is a significant step in the development of Sky News.

"We intend to bring viewers a distinctive approach to Arabic news, building on Sky News' strong reputation for independent, impartial and innovative coverage."

The Man City owner also owns ADMIC, which signed the deal with Sky News
Chief executive Jeremy Darroch added: "Sky News is already one of the world's leading news services and now we're looking forward to bringing a new voice to Arabic audiences.

"The Middle East and North Africa is undergoing rapid development and our partnership with ADMIC means we are able to enter this dynamic marketplace with the support and expertise of a strong local partner."

Dr Sultan al Jaber, chairman of ADMIC and the new venture, said the channel would "set a new standard for broadcasting in the Middle East and North Africa".
He added: "The new channel will be an important, independent voice for the Arab world, providing accurate and in-depth reporting of all the interesting developments in the region."

Adrian Wells, previously head of international news at Sky News, has been appointed to work with the ADMIC team to launch the new channel.
A director of news will be appointed in due course to lead the venture on a permanent basis.

News content will be created and delivered by more than 180 multimedia journalists from new studios to be developed at Abu Dhabi's twofour54 media zone.

The channel will have a network of newsgathering bureaux across the region, in London and Washington DC - as well as access to Sky News' wider network of international bureaux.