Qatari satellite giant Al-Jazeera is reportedly going to acquire Al Gore’s low-rated Current TV.
The pan-Arab news channel has long sought a greater pathway into the American market, encouraging people to ask their cable or satellite providers to carry Al-Jazeera English.
Current TV gives them that route. Even though few watch Gore’s seven-year-old endeavor, it’s carried on 60 percent of cable and satellite packages.
According to the New York Times, the deal would involve a rebranding of the current Current with the Al-Jazeera name, perhaps Al-Jazeera America with original stateside reporting. Some Current staffers could stay on but some of the programming would come from the already established Al-Jazeera English.
“Current has been approached many times by media companies interested in acquiring our company,” Gore’s business partner, Joel Hyatt, said in June. “This year alone, we have had three inquiries. As a consequence, we thought it might be useful to engage expertise to help us evaluate our strategic options.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member