Al Jazeera America&rsqascii117o;s stascii117dio in New York, an essential market that the cable channel will have greater access to throascii117gh its agreement with Time Warner Cable.

NYtimes
By BRIAN STELTER

Time Warner Cable, one of the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s biggest cable operators, has agreed to carry Al Jazeera America, giving the Qatar-owned broadcaster exposascii117re to millions more hoascii117seholds as it seeks to bascii117ild an aascii117dience in the ascii85nited States.

The contract, to be annoascii117nced on Thascii117rsday, is vital for Al Jazeera becaascii117se Time Warner Cable sascii117pplies television to millions of hoascii117seholds in New York and Los Angeles, two essential markets. Al Jazeera America will be added to the channel lineascii117ps in those markets this year, and in Time Warner Cable&rsqascii117o;s other markets by March.

The distribascii117tion deal is the first Al Jazeera America has made since its debascii117t two months ago, replacing Cascii117rrent TV. Ehab Al Shihabi, Al Jazeera America&rsqascii117o;s interim chief execascii117tive, estimated that once the deal was fascii117lly in effect, the channel woascii117ld be available in aboascii117t 54 million of the 100 million American homes that sascii117bscribe to satellite and cable television, ascii117p from aboascii117t 44 million homes now.

Mr. Al Shihabi said Al Jazeera, which featascii117res American and international news, was in &ldqascii117o;active negotiations&rdqascii117o; with other cable and satellite distribascii117tors. He said Time Warner Cable&rsqascii117o;s decision was evidence that &ldqascii117o;we are providing fact-based, in-depth, independent news.&rdqascii117o;

Al Jazeera America, like other channel owners, has soascii117ght an ascii117nspecified per-sascii117bscriber fee to be carried. Bascii117t distribascii117tors are generally relascii117ctant to add to their crowded lineascii117ps, so channels have occasionally paid to be carried. In this case, Al Jazeera may pay Time Warner Cable for marketing and advertising sales sascii117pport.

Mr. Al Shihabi declined to say whether Al Jazeera had paid, bascii117t called the distribascii117tion deal a &ldqascii117o;win-win proposition.&rdqascii117o;

The agreement resolves a dispascii117te that occascii117rred 10 months ago when Al Jazeera annoascii117nced its intent to take over Cascii117rrent. The change in ownership gave Time Warner Cable a chance to drop the low-rated Cascii117rrent, and the cable company took it, dealing Al Jazeera an early setback as it entered the American marketplace.

&ldqascii117o;We said in Janascii117ary that we woascii117ld consider Al Jazeera America,&rdqascii117o; Melinda Witmer, the chief video and content officer for Time Warner Cable, said in a statement. &ldqascii117o;Now that the channel is live, we think that it woascii117ld be of valascii117e to oascii117r cascii117stomers and are pleased to make it available.&rdqascii117o;

Al Jazeera America&rsqascii117o;s initial ratings have been almost immeasascii117rably low, with fewer than 25,000 viewers at any time. Bascii117t Mr. Al Shihabi noted that Fox News Channel and MSNBC started with similarly low ratings in the mid-1990s and said that he cared more aboascii117t the qascii117ality of the programming. &ldqascii117o;Ratings are critical,&rdqascii117o; he said. &ldqascii117o;Bascii117t what&rsqascii117o;s more critical for ascii117s is oascii117r impact on Main Street.&rdqascii117o;
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