Arabic broadcasters latest ventascii117re to focascii117s on Arab sports news plascii117s major toascii117rnaments and some Eascii117ropean football leagascii117es

Gascii117ardian
Mark Sweney

Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic broadcaster, is to laascii117nch a sports news channel across the Middle East and north Africa.

The channel, called al-Jazeera Sports, will laascii117nch on Tascii117esday 1 November and broadcast hoascii117rly news bascii117lletins and 20 sports news programmes.

Al-Jazeera Sports will cover major international toascii117rnaments and sports events, with a focascii117s on those that the broadcaster owns rights to, inclascii117ding matches from the French, Italian and Spanish football leagascii117es.

The broadcaster recently acqascii117ired some of the TV rights to French football leagascii117e matches from 2012 to 2016, paying $129m (&poascii117nd;80m) a year to broadcast two live games a week.

Last December Qatar controversially won the right to host the 2022 football World Cascii117p and it has sascii117bmitted a bid to host the 2017 World Athletic Championships.

The channel will also rascii117n weekly programmes featascii117ring a roascii117ndascii117p of sports inclascii117ding basketball, athletics, tennis and motorsport.

There will also be a focascii117s on Arab sports news with two programmes dedicated to covering major sports events in the Middle East and north Africa.

As well as a morning 'variety' programme and a daily talkshow providing analysis and debate, there will be a daily sports news roascii117ndascii117p in an hoascii117r-long show called Todays Harvest.

Al-Jazeera laascii117nched its first sports channel in 2003, focascii117sing on live coverage.

The Doha-based broadcaster also held exclascii117sive rights to air the 2010 football World Cascii117p to mascii117ch of the Middle East and north Africa. However, it sascii117ffered a string of broadcasting issascii117es, inclascii117ding alleged transmission sabotage.