Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Presents Alarab

RIYADH: Alarab is the name of the new international news channel from Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal that is scheduled to launch in 2012, with an agreement in place with Bloomberg to provide five hours of programming throughout the day.

The 24-hour news channel, which will target Arab-speaking viewers across the Arab world and beyond, will be led by Saudi journalist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi. Alarab will focus on the shifts taking place across the Arab world, with an emphasis on free speech and freedom of press. The news channel will also look at international developments and will highlight the political, social and economic issues in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.

Bloomberg has aligned with Alarab to provide five hours of financial and economic news programming throughout the day on the channel. The Bloomberg-branded business reports will air within the channel’s daily coverage, featuring reports from the MENA markets as well as a weekly roundup of global financial news. A team of Bloomberg media specialist and producers will be provided to the channel and will assist in the production of channel’s economic and business coverage.

Prince Alwaleed commented: "The Arab world is interested in the fields of business, employment, economic development, and is focused on prosperity and growth. Our alliance with Bloomberg and its credible source of financial and economic data, together with its extensive media experience, will provide the Alarab news channel with a strong and comprehensive economic platform to accurately cover Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Arab world."