Al Jazeera goes 24hrs on Freeview in UK

Al Jazeera English is to begin broadcasting 24-hours daily on the UK Freeview platform from September 19, significantly increasing the channel’s current reach and potential viewership on the platform.

Al Jazeera English currently broadcasts on Freeview for just five hours per evening while it is on 24/7 in more than 12 million DTH Satellite homes, advanced-television.com reports.  Freeview is serving almost 20 million homes, including nearly 11 million main set homes in the UK.

Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English said “This is a major opportunity for many more viewers to experience our high-quality, in-depth coverage of events in the UK, in Europe, and around the globe. No matter when or where stories are happening, we are uniquely placed to deliver fast, round-the-clock coverage, with quality, depth and integrity.”

Al Jazeera English’s global coverage this year earned them the title of News Channel of Year 2012, beating the BBC and Sky News, as the only non-domestic news broadcaster to ever win the Royal Television Society award.