| Kippreport.com

Battle of the news channels

March 30, 2011 2:44 by Precious de Leon

It felt like déjà vu to Kipp when a study on news networks dropped in our inbox this morning.

We’ve put Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya head-to-head in 2008, at a time when BBC Arabic was launching. Even with Al Jazeera opening up its English-language version, Al Jazeera English, and Al Arabiya’s stronghold in Saudi back then, there was definitely room for competition to heat up.

So how are the three networks and rest of the news networks faring among its regional audience?

Well, it’s been exactly two years and five days since we’ve taken a look and, guess what? Not much has changed.

Al Arabiya barely takes the top spot for overall most trusted and most popular news channel in Saudi Arabia, leaving Al Jazeera at a very close second place

However, the former only ranks fourth in the UAE, where its rival Al Jazeera is taking the lead by head and shoulders. Interestingly, BBC World English takes second place in the Emirates, followed by CNN in third.

These are results that came out of the a survey conducted by Yougov Siraj and PR firm Grayling on the most trusted and most watched news channels in the UAE and in Saudi.

Al Jazeera’s close second ranking in Saudi and its wide lead in the UAE makes the channel the most trusted and watched news channel on TV in the Middle East today—a full 15 years since it launched.

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