Sky News Arabia, the 24-hour Arabic language multi-platform breaking news service based in Abu Dhabi, will be launched on May 6 and broadcast to over 50 million homes in the region.

A joint venture between Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation and British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), the channel promises 'a new horizon' for news reporting across the Arab world.

It will be available on Transponder 14 on Arabsat Badr 4, Transponder 15 on Nilesat 201, on du IPTV and e-Life platforms plus in high definition on the OSN pay-TV platform.

Announcing the launch, channel head, Nart Bouran, said,'The Sky News Arabia idea was born more than two years ago. Our aim has been to create an impartial and independent breaking news channel for the Arab world across multiple platforms.'

'It has been a huge collaborative team effort resulting in the most technically advanced news operation in the region. We have nearly 400 of the best journalists, reporters, presenters, producers and broadcast technicians working together to create an unparalleled news channel,' said Bouran at the hitech studios in Abu Dhabi.

According to him, Sky News Arabia will offer the Mena region 'a fresh approach to television news with an independent editorial mandate at the heart of everything we do.'

The channel is supported by an Editorial Advisory Committee – a first for the region - to ensure Sky News Arabia delivers fair, accurate, consistent and independent news.

The panel, made up of a variety of voices from the UK, US and UAE, is chaired by James Zogby, the author of Arab Voices and founder & president of the Arab American Institute.

The committee members include Dr Sulaiman Al Hattlan, the chief executive, Arab Strategy Forum; Roger Alton, executive editor, The Times; Chris Birkett, executive editor, Sky News; Ahmed Al Blooshi, the director general, Emirates Media and Martin Edelman, Of Counsel, Paul Hastings besides Bouran.

Commenting on the launch, Zogby said: 'We are looking forward to working with Sky News Arabia to support the channel’s aim to present an independent evaluation of the news agenda, free of external influence.'

'It will have clear, unambiguous standards, upheld by an editorial charter that sets the framework for world-class news delivery as well as creating a new culture for Arab journalism,' he added.-TradeArabia News  Service