3 BBC Arabic television
19. BBC Arabic television was launched
on March 2008 and is the BBC's first publicly funded international
television news service. Following the provision of additional
funding in the last Comprehensive Spending Review, BBC Arabic
moved from broadcasting for 12 hours a day to a full 24 hours
service on 19 January 2009, a development we welcomed in our last
Report.[22] The World
Service identified the timing of the expansion to a full 24-hour
service as being "crucial": the Gaza conflict was under
way, and 24-hour television coverage was an important element
of BBC Arabic's service. The World Service specifically noted
the interactive programme Nuqtat Hewar (Debating Point)
as providing an opportunity for radio, television and online audiences
to discuss every aspect of the conflict, including the BBC's controversial
decision not to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)
Gaza Crisis Appeal.
20. Research undertaken by the World Service
in Gaza found that two in five people spoken to in a telephone
poll, who had watched BBC Arabic during the three-week period
following the Israeli offensive launched at the end of December,
said that BBC Arabic provided the best coverage of the crisis.
Though the poll only surveyed a small group (all with operational
landlines), it also showed the continued importance of radio during
the crisis, when power supplies were restricted. Of those polled,
58% had used a BBC service of some kind, 40% had listened to BBC
Arabic radio, 27% had watched BBC Arabic television and 10% had
accessed bbcarabic.com. The BBC told us that high ratings were
given for trust and impartiality.[23]
Peter Horrocks confirmed that the service was "very widely
used" in the West Bank and Gaza after the conflict.[24]
21. The number of users of BBC Arabic TV hit
an initial high of 12 million in January 2009. While this has
settled down to 8 million, levels remain higher than originally
predicted, 1 million ahead of the 7 million target agreed with
the FCO.[25] The overall
weekly reach is over 18 million users of radio, television and
online services.[26]
No further estimates of the audience figure have been issued since
the extension of the channel to 24 hours a day. However, research
is under way, the results of which will be reported in time for
the next global audience estimate in May 2010. BBC World's Arabic
TV target for March 2011 is 25 million weekly viewers, as part
of an overall BBC multimedia reach in Arabic of 35 million weekly
users.[27]
22. We conclude that the early
indications are that the BBC Arabic television service, now broadcasting
24 hours a day, has established itself as a trusted and valuable
provider of news and discussion across the Middle East, and that
it proved its worth during the recent Gaza conflict. We recommend
that the World Service should supply us with the results of its
latest survey of BBC Arabic television audience figures, broken
down by country as soon as they are available. We further recommend
that the BBC provide updated ratings for trust and impartiality,
and comparable data for the BBC's main competitors, including
Al Jazeera.
22 Foreign Affairs Committee, Foreign and Commonwealth
Office Annual Report 2007-08, para 344 Back
23
Ev 14 Back
24
Q 5 Back
25
Ev 21 Back
26
BBC World Service, Annual Review 2008-09, p 24 Back
27
Ev 21 Back
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