History of Al Jazeera Media Network in Timeline

Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN) is a Qatari news organization headquartered in Doha, primarily funded by the Qatari government. As a private foundation for public benefit, it operates Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, covering regional and international news, as well as the digital platform AJ+. Available in over 150 countries, Al Jazeera reaches a global audience exceeding 430 million people.

August 1994: Idea of launching international news channel floated

In August 1994, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, then-Emir of Qatar, first publicly suggested launching an international news channel while he was crown prince.

November 1, 1996: Launch of Al Jazeera Arabic

On November 1, 1996, Al Jazeera Arabic was launched by the government of Qatar, noted for its journalistic professionalism and critical coverage of autocratic leaders in the region.

November 1996: Launch of Al Jazeera Satellite Channel

In November 1996, the Al Jazeera Satellite Channel was launched. This followed the closure of the BBC Arabic language television station, a joint venture with Orbit Communications Company, after the Saudi government attempted to thwart a documentary.

1997: Expansion of programming hours

By the end of 1997, Al Jazeera expanded its broadcast from six to twelve hours per day, reaching the surrounding region through terrestrial signals, cable, and free satellite services in the Arab world.

March 1998: Emir disbands Ministry of Information

In March 1998, the emir of Qatar disbanded the Ministry of Information, which had been responsible for press censorship, reflecting Al Jazeera's mandate of independence.

January 1999: Power outage in Algerian cities

On 27 January 1999, several Algerian cities lost power, reportedly to prevent residents from watching an Al Jazeera program implicating the Algerian military in massacres.

January 1999: Al Jazeera begins 24-hour broadcasting

On January 1999, Al Jazeera began broadcasting on a 24-hour schedule. Its employment tripled to approximately 500 staff, and the network established bureaus at a dozen locations.

2000: Advertising revenue

In 2000, Al Jazeera brought in QAR15 million in advertising revenue, impacted by pressure from Saudi Arabia to boycott the network.

2001: Al Jazeera broadcasts from Kabul

In 2001, Al Jazeera was the only international news network broadcasting from Kabul, Afghanistan.

May 2002: Bahrain bans Al Jazeera correspondents

On 10 May 2002, Bahrain banned Al Jazeera correspondents from reporting within the country, citing bias towards Israel and against Bahrain.

2002: Push for English-language version of Al Jazeera

In late 2002, Ali Mohamed Kama, Al Jazeera's director of marketing, pushed for a "repositioning" of Al Jazeera, with English subtitles and dubbing.

March 2003: Launch of English-language website 'Al Jazeera Net'

In March 2003, Al Jazeera launched an English-language website called "Al Jazeera Net" by younger journalists, aiming to connect with a Western audience.

March 2003: Al Jazeera website sees surge in visitors

In March 2003, at the onset of the Iraq War, Al Jazeera's website received over one million visitors and became the fastest-growing online news source.

2003: Al Jazeera hires English-language journalists

In 2003, Al Jazeera hired its first English-language journalists, including Afshin Rattansi from the BBC's Today programme.

2003: Al Jazeera Net website experiences attacks and closures

In 2003, shortly after its launch, Al Jazeera Net was taken offline due to denial of service attacks and hacked. Web providers and advertisers cancelled contracts, leading to the website's closure later in the year.

July 2004: Algerian government freezes Al Jazeera correspondent activities

On 4 July 2004, the Algerian government froze the activities of Al Jazeera's Algerian correspondent, allegedly in response to a broadcast of a debate on the political situation in Algeria.

2004: Al Jazeera correspondents returned to Bahrain

In 2004, Al Jazeera correspondents returned to Bahrain after improvements in relations between Bahrain and Qatar.

2004: Establishment of Al Jazeera Sport

In 2004, Al Jazeera expanded into sports with the establishment of Al Jazeera Sport (now known as beIN Sports) and the creation of 8 Arabic-language specialty sports channels.

2004: Constitution of Qatar guarantees freedom of the press

In 2004, the Constitution of Qatar, guaranteeing freedom of the press, further reinforced Al Jazeera's independence.

April 2005: First Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival

The first Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival was held in Doha, Qatar on 18 April 2005.

July 2005: Al Jazeera announces plans to launch Al Jazeera International

On July 2005, Al Jazeera officially announced plans to launch a new English-language satellite service to be called Al Jazeera International.

September 9, 2005: Launch of Al Jazeera Children's Channel

On September 9, 2005, Al Jazeera established a children's division with the launch of Al Jazeera Children's Channel, targeting an audience of 7 to 15-year-olds.

2005: Role in reforms during the Arab Spring

Al Jazeera played a key role as a source of information on the protests in Egypt and Tunisia during the 2005 Arab Spring, challenging government censorship and prioritizing perspectives from marginalized communities.

November 15, 2006: Launch of Al Jazeera English

On November 15, 2006, Al Jazeera English (AJE) was launched as the English-language counterpart to Al Jazeera Arabic, aiming to be an alternative to Western media outlets.

November 2006: Al Jazeera English launches

In November 2006, Al Jazeera English launched with broadcast centers in Doha, London, Kuala Lumpur, and Washington, D.C., featuring journalists from various news organizations.

2006: Launch of Al Jazeera English

In 2006, Al Jazeera English was launched with an investment of approximately $1 billion by the Emir of Qatar.

2006: Establishment of Al Jazeera Center for Studies

In 2006, Al Jazeera Media Network established the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, which conducts in-depth analysis of current affairs.

2006: Wadah Khanfar appointed director general

In 2006, Wadah Khanfar, then the managing director of the Arabic Channel, was appointed director general of the Al Jazeera Satellite Network while continuing to serve as managing director of the Al Jazeera Arabic channel.

January 16, 2009: Launch of Baraem

On January 16, 2009, Baraem launched, targeting an audience of three to seven-year-olds, broadcasting 17 hours a day.

November 2009: Al Jazeera English receives approval to broadcast in Canada

On November 2009, Al Jazeera English received approval from the CRTC, enabling it to broadcast via satellite in Canada.

2010: Bahrain bans Al Jazeera correspondents again

In 2010, the Information Ministry again banned Al Jazeera correspondents from reporting inside Bahrain, accusing the network of violating press laws after airing a report on poverty in Bahrain.

February 2011: Al Jazeera acquires Cine5

In February 2011, Al Jazeera acquired Cine5, a Turkish channel, for $40.5 million after it was put up for sale due to the owner's bankruptcy.

September 2011: Wadah Khanfar resigns

In September 2011, Al Jazeera's long-time director general Wadah Khanfar unexpectedly resigned after eight years leading the network.

2011: Al Jazeera Media Network restructured

In 2011, Al Jazeera Media Network was legally restructured from a "public institution" to a "private institution of public utility" to provide greater administrative flexibility.

2011: Al Jazeera covers Arab Spring

In 2011, Al Jazeera extensively covered the Arab Spring, playing a significant role in spreading news about the unrest, particularly in Tunisia, throughout the Middle East.

April 2012: Reports of delay in channel launch due to disagreements

In April 2012, reports emerged that the launch of Al Jazeera's Turkish channel was delayed due to disagreements over the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and journalistic standards.

January 2013: Al Jazeera purchases Current TV

In January 2013, Al Jazeera Media Network announced that it purchased Current TV from its founders in the United States and would be launching an American news channel.

August 2013: Launch of Al Jazeera America

In August 2013, Al Jazeera America, an American version of Al Jazeera English, launched exclusively on cable and satellite systems in the United States.

2013: Al Jazeera Children's Channel becomes JeemTV

In 2013, Al Jazeera Children's Channel was renamed JeemTV.

2013: Announcement of Al Jazeera Türk

In 2013, Al Jazeera announced the creation of Al Jazeera Türk, a version of Al Jazeera in the Turkish language, to be stationed in Istanbul.

2013: Al Jazeera backing Arab Spring protests

In 2013, Al Jazeera was accused by many Iraqi government supporters of backing Arab Spring protests in the country.

January 2014: Al Jazeera Sport renamed beIN Sports

On January 2014, Al Jazeera Sport was renamed beIN Sports and spun off into beIN Media Group. Revenue from Al Jazeera Sport helped fund Al Jazeera America.

January 22, 2014: Launch of Al Jazeera Türk website

On January 22, 2014, Al Jazeera Türk's website was launched with news content, making it the first 24-hour news operation to go digital before broadcast.

June 2014: Soft launch of AJ+

In June 2014, Al Jazeera Media Network soft-launched AJ+, a digital online-only news channel, with a new webpage, Facebook page and videos on YouTube.

September 2014: Full launch of AJ+

On September 2014, the full AJ+ channel was launched with an app. There are also Arabic and Spanish language versions of the channel.

January 13, 2016: Al Jazeera America announces ceasing operations

On January 13, 2016, Al Jazeera America CEO Al Anstey announced that the network would cease operations on April 12, 2016, citing the "economic landscape".

March 2016: Al Jazeera announces layoffs

In March 2016, Al Jazeera announced that it would lay off about 500 employees worldwide as part of cost-cutting measures.

April 1, 2016: JeemTV and Baraem acquired by beIN Media Group

On April 1, 2016, JeemTV and Baraem were acquired by beIN Media Group and made part of beIN Channels Network, becoming exclusive to the network.

April 12, 2016: Al Jazeera America ceases operations

On April 12, 2016, Al Jazeera America officially ceased operations.

2016: Iraq bans Al Jazeera

In 2016, the Iraqi government banned Al Jazeera, accusing it of inciting violence and sectarianism and being too friendly toward the Islamic State.

June 2017: UAE blocks Al Jazeera

On 5 June 2017, the UAE blocked Al Jazeera due to perceived sympathies to the Qatari government, following the onset of the Qatar diplomatic crisis.

2017: Launch of Jetty podcasting network

In 2017, Al Jazeera launched a podcasting network called Jetty, later renamed Al Jazeera Podcasts. The network is available via the network's website and several podcast platforms.

2017: Partnership agreement with Google signed

In 2017, Al Jazeera signed a strategic partnership agreement with Google.

2017: Al Jazeera Türk website shuts down

In 2017, the Al Jazeera Türk website shut down without the channel ever being launched.

2017: Al Jazeera's budget source

In a 2017 interview, Acting Director General of AJMN Mostefa Souag estimated that "90% maybe" of Al Jazeera's budget comes from the Qatari government.

January 1, 2018: Launch of Mandarin-language news website

On January 1, 2018, Al Jazeera launched a Mandarin-language news website, becoming the first Middle Eastern news provider to target the Chinese audience.

2018: Debut of podcasts on freedom, sex, and global music

In 2018, Al Jazeera Podcasts debuted podcasts covering topics like freedom (Freedom Stories, featuring Melissa Harris-Perry), sex (The Virgie Show) with Virgie Tovar, and global music (Movement) with Meklit Hadero.

2018: Start of Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival

In 2018, the Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival was started as an annual international documentary film festival based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

May 2019: Sudan closes Al Jazeera's office

In May 2019, Sudan closed Al Jazeera's office, as Qatar was seen as a close ally of ousted Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.

2019: Partnership with China Intercontinental Communication Center and content license agreement with Bloomberg signed

In 2019, Al Jazeera signed a partnership agreement with the China Intercontinental Communication Center and a content license agreement with Bloomberg.

2021: Launch of Rightly news channel

In 2021, Al Jazeera launched Rightly, an online news channel aimed at center-right American conservatives, available primarily on YouTube.

2021: Partnership with Arewa 24

In 2021, Al Jazeera partnered with Arewa 24 to provide its content in Hausa.

2022: Scrutiny of reporting on domestic issues in Qatar

In 2022, Al Jazeera's reporting on domestic issues in Qatar, particularly regarding the treatment of domestic workers during the World Cup games, was scrutinized.

2023: Partnership with Avid Technology

In 2023, Al Jazeera partnered with Avid Technology.

May 2024: Israel bans Al Jazeera

In May 2024, Israel banned Al Jazeera, forcing the closure of their offices in the country.

September 2024: IDF ordered the closure of the Al Jazeera Office in Ramallah

In September 2024, the IDF ordered the closure of the Al Jazeera Office in Ramallah, considering it a threat to national security.

2025: Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera TV broadcasts

At the start of 2025, the Palestinian Authority suspended Qatar's Al Jazeera TV broadcasts from The West Bank, claiming it shows "inciting material."

January 2026: Allegations against Al Jazeera Arabic channel

In January 2026, the pro-Israel group "Focus Israel" alleged that the Al Jazeera Arabic channel aired propaganda supporting Hamas, leading Swiss television providers to remove the channel from their programming pending verification.

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