Al Jazeera Launches Streaming Hub Boosting Its Reach As Tensions Mount With Israel Over Coverage of Israel-Hamas War

As a seasoned cinephile with a penchant for global cinema and a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling, I find the launch of Al Jazeera 360 streaming platform an exciting development. With decades of experience under my belt, I’ve witnessed the evolution of media consumption, and this seems to be another milestone in the digital age.


Al Jazeera Media Network is debuting a streaming service called Al Jazeera 360, which they’re celebrating as a significant digital achievement and an opportunity for people worldwide to access their news content freely, amid growing controversies surrounding their reporting on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

After Al Jazeera 360 launched on September 15th, the streaming platform (which is free and currently only available in Arabic) has garnered over a million views within its initial week of operation and recorded more than 300,000 app downloads, as shared by Jamal Elshayyal, Al Jazeera’s digital content manager.

In a conversation with EbMaster Elshayyal, AJ360 was referred to as the “swiftly expanding” streamer across the Arab world. However, it’s important to note that this is still relatively new territory.

The Al Jazeera 360 streaming service offers a blend of the network’s news channels, specially created content, as well as an extensive library of over 50,000 hours of news programs and documentaries dating back to 1996 when Al Jazeera Media Network first began.

The launch of Al Jazeera 360 coincides with Israeli troops entering their offices in the West Bank on Sunday, demanding they close down. This action follows the closure of Al Jazeera’s operations within Israel, which was decided by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet back in May. The network has described this latest shutdown as a violation of press freedom and the fundamental principles of journalism.

As a movie enthusiast keeping an eye on global events, I’d say it’s clear that information about what’s unfolding in Gaza is being tightly controlled. I’ve personally observed that Al Jazeera’s coverage of the war in Gaza is being suppressed across various platforms, such as YouTube, where their Arabic channel boasts nearly 20 million subscribers. Regrettably, content related to Gaza on this platform has either been removed or given a subtle form of censorship, commonly known as “shadow-banning.

Elshayyal portrayed the debut of Al Jazeera 360 as, in essence, an assertion of independence for Al Jazeera, and a means to free themselves from being controlled by a third-party platform like YouTube.

Additionally, Elshayyal stated that Al Jazeera 360 stands as “an unprecedented streaming platform, not only in the Arab region, but globally.” He pointed out that the subscription-based streaming service by CNN+, which debuted in 2022, was closed down just a month after its initial launch.

By the year 2025, an executive at Al Jazeera announced their intention to debut a new platform called Al Jazeera 360. This platform will feature specially selected content tailored for English-speaking viewers. The executive described this development as “the next stage in our growth and evolution.

Elshayyal stated, ‘What we possess here – initially in Arabic – has the potential to spark curiosity among people worldwide about the news network that originated from the Arab world 28 years ago and became a global powerhouse. Now, we are repeating this success in a new field.’

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2024-09-26 15:16