Al Jazeera English passes one million homes

Al Jazeera English has passed the one million homes total in less than 10 months. The figure is more than double the 40 million set by executives ahead of its launch on November 15 last year.

The channel has hired former Turner Broadcasting distribution executive Phil Lawrie as its new director of global distribution.

Lawrie now intends to begin a major new push to take the channel into the United States. In an interview with our sister title New Television Insider, Lawrie said that reaction had been favourable, with no political considerations coming into play. He said the greatest hurdle is the availability of network capacity.

Al Jazeera English broadcasts a mix of news and documentaries from broadcast centres in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC.