Al Jazeera plans Urdu news channel

Al Jazeera will soon launch a new satelite TV channel, Al Jazeera Urdu, targeting 110 million Urdu-speaking population globally.

���Initially we are targeting Pakistan, and then the dubbed service will spread to the Indian subcontinent as well as Urdu speakers in the United States and Europe�۝, said Hamad Yehya Al Nuaimi, Al Jazeera’s marketing director.

Al Jazeera is launching this Urdu service in a joint venture with ARY Digital Network, the world�۪s largest Urdu TV network. ���Over the years Al Jazeera has made its impact on the Urdu-speaking population. Al Jazeera Urdu will now break the language barrier and to an already existing viewer base yearning to understand the channel�۪s content,�۝ said Salman Iqbal, ARY Digital Network�۪s president and chief executive officer.

Al Jazeera and ARY Digital Network will launch and distribute the new Urdu service through Cable, DTH and SMATV. The channel will provide viewers with news bulletins, programmes and interviews in addition to other contents dubbed in Urdu.