HRH Princess Rym inaugurates Al Arabiya English relaunch

I am proud to announce that Al Arabiya News today relaunched the Al Arabiya English platform with the video service being at the heart of it, to enable viewers to get access to AA news and current affairs shows with full English subtitles within one hour of broadcast.

One of the main highlights of the relaunch is the state-of-the-art subtitling service that allows English-speaking audiences to follow Arabic news bulletins and programs broadcast by its parent TV channel.

The new service, part of our website’s View More video section, will broadcast regular news bulletins and programs first aired in Arabic by the Al Arabiya News Channel.

I am also happy to announce that today, we inaugurate the “Al Arabiya News Global Discussion” forum, which brought in an international group of political, cultural and media personalities to participate in the sessions:

• “Political lobbying: How can Arabs be more effective?” – with Dr. Adel al-Toraifi, Editor-in-Chief of the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper; Chris Doyle, the director of The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu); Adrian Monck, managing director and head of communications and media at the World Economic Forum; and Hisham Melhem, Al Arabiya’s Bureau Chief in Washington, DC. – moderated by yours truly

• What does it take to be a regional spokesperson” – with Professor George Brock, Head of Journalism at City University in London; Khaled al-Maeena, Editor-in-Chief of the Saudi Gazette newspaper; Talal al-Haj, the New York/U.N. Bureau Chief for the Al Arabiya News Channel; and Charles Glass, a broadcaster, journalist and writer with a vast experience reporting on the Middle East – moderated by Arabiya presenter Rima Maktabi

I’d like to thank our general manager, Abdulrahman al Rashed, for his support and guidance, for without him this relaunch would have not been possible.

“The new subtitled video service on the English website will grant Al Arabiya a cutting edge, allowing us to broadcast simultaneously in several languages and enhance our presence on additional platforms,” he said.

“In the past ten years, Al Arabiya became renowned for its unique coverage of the region and the world, as well as its exclusive interviews, and with the launch of this service, we will enable millions of viewers to benefit from our rich content in their own language and through their preferred platforms,” he added.

I am also honored to have HRH Princess Rym Ali, founder of the Jordan Media Institute, grace the gala evening with a keynote speech. HRH called on the Arab world to fight discrimination, saying it is not the West’s role to correct “negative stereotypes” about the Middle East region.

HRH commended Al Arabiya for the initiative it took in the said translating service saying  broadcasts by the Al Arabiya News Channel would help boost understanding of the Middle East.

To all who came, from me and my team, thank you so much!

Here are a few pictures during the event in Armani hotel, Burj Khalifa, Dubai: