EuroNews Goes Arabic

[12-11-07 – Satellite Today] EuroNews, one of the leading news channel providers, is going Arabic in 2008, the company said Dec. 10. The company said it had won the European Union’s call for tenders to extend its offering to include Arabic. This new addition will be the eighth language version broadcast by EuroNews. The Arabic service will be broadcast across EuroNews’ entire network of 35 satellites, thus making the Arabic-service signal available worldwide. The Arabic version of EuroNews is likely to be seen on a variety of pay-TV platforms early next year, both in the Middle East and beyond. 
    EuroNews won the European Commission’s call for tenders, launched in June 2007, which was to select an international news channel with the ability to produce and broadcast programming in Arabic, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. A service agreement between the channel and the Commission was signed in Brussels on Dec 6 2007.
    EuroNews is already present on numerous satellite platforms throughout Europe, and it will hope by launching an Arabic version of the channel, that it will find a strong audience on DTH platforms across the Middle East.