Al Jazeera English to launch in Canada

After months of delays, the English-language version of Al Jazeera, the Mideast news network, is coming to Canadian television screens. The 24-hour news channel announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with distributors and Vidéotron Ltée to be carried on each company’s cable and satellite services.
Al Jazeera English (AJE) managing director Tony Burman said the network will attempt to challenge other news outlets such as CBC and CNN with more comprehensive global coverage, including “countries that are barely mentioned in many newscasts in Canada.” AJE, which launched three and a half years ago, can be seen in almost 200 million households in more than 100 countries around the world. AJE won regulatory approval to broadcast in Canada in November.