Al Jazeera Arabic

Overview

Al Jazeera Arabic (also known as Al Jazeera Channel or AJA) is an Arabic-language satellite news television channel based in Doha, Qatar, and operated by the Al Jazeera Media Network, a Qatari statutory private foundation funded primarily by the government of Qatar.

History

The channel launched on November 1, 1996, under an emiri decree issued in the name of then-Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, becoming the first channel in the Arab world to adopt an editorially independent, all-news format. It was funded initially by a Qatari government grant of roughly $137 million covering its first five years of operation. Programming expanded from six hours a day in 1996 to a 24-hour schedule by January 1999. The channel gained international prominence for its coverage of Operation Desert Fox in 1998, the Second Intifada, and the 2003 Iraq War, and its parent network later launched Al Jazeera English in 2006.

Notable works

Al Jazeera Arabic was the only television channel to broadcast from inside Fallujah during the 2004 U.S. military siege of the city, and its coverage of the 2010-2011 Arab Spring uprisings across Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria became a defining chapter in the channel's history.

Key personnel

Director General, Al Jazeera Media Network: Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani (since September 2025)
Managing Director, Al Jazeera Arabic Channel: Asef Hamidi (since September 2025)

Audience

Al Jazeera Arabic is the largest news network in the Middle East and North Africa region, reaching viewers across the Arabic-speaking world as part of a network available in more than 150 countries and territories.

Location and contact info

Address
Wadi Al Sail, Doha, Qatar
Website
https://www.aljazeera.net