Just three years after its creation, the Al-Jazeera America channel has announced it will close at the end of April. “Our business model is simply no longer viable in the light of the economic challenges facing the US media market,” said Mostefa Souag, the group’s CEO, in an internal note seen by AFP.
In 2013 the American branch of the Qatari news channel arrived in a market already saturated by continuous news. Since its launch Al Jazeera America has hired more than 850 people, among them stars of American television such as Joie Chen and John Seigenthaler (CNN). The aim of launching the channel was to demonstrate Al Jazeera’s power, while also trying to improve its image in the US (following the events of 9/11). Despite the substantial resources used, Al Jazeera America never attracted enough audience.
However the Al-Jazeera group is not going to abandon the US market. Although closing the US channel at the end of April, it will strengthen its presence on the web and all mobile devices.
Source : lexpansion.lexpress.fr
