物は言い様

Cosmopolitesという本を書いたAtossa Araxia Abrahamianさんが Al Jazeera Americaでopinion editor務めていることもあり、こちらのニュースに目がいきました。



視聴率が伸びなかった、原油安に見舞われているなどいろいろあるようですが、たった3年で撤退とは驚きですね。

Al-Jazeera America to shut down after less than three years on air
The Qatar-funded cable news network’s last US broadcast will be 30 April, as viewership remained meager and declining oil prices put a damper on funding
Sam Thielman in New York
Wednesday 13 January 2016 20.54 GMT
Less than three years after its launch, al-Jazeera America is shutting down. The news was abruptly announced to staff on Wednesday afternoon. The network’s last day on the air will be 30 April.

The enterprise was troubled from the beginning: seven hours into its first day on the air, al-Jazeera America was already mired in a lawsuit with one of its carriers, AT&T, which dropped the network before it even began. Its viewership was usually between 20,000 and 40,000 viewers in prime time – Fox News averaged 1.95m viewers in the third quarter of 2015.

どの報道も閉鎖を報じている中、自社WEBページは何とも前向きな書き方をしていました。

Press Release
Al Jazeera Media Network to Expand International Digital Services in U.S.; Al Jazeera America to Cease Operations in the Coming Months
January 13, 2016 – Doha and New York: Al Jazeera Media Network (the “Network”) today announced from Doha its intention to expand its existing international digital services to broaden its multi-platform presence in the United States. As audiences increasingly turn to multiple platforms, including mobile devices, for news and information, this expansion will allow US and non-US consumers alike to access the Network’s journalism and content wherever and whenever they want.
The expanded digital platform will augment the Network’s successful current digital offerings, including AJ+ (www.ajplus.net) which has achieved more than two billion online video views since its inception in September 2014. The Network’s commitment to its digital transformation of its global operations is consistent with its mission to inform and engage audiences no matter who they are or where they are. By expanding its digital content and distribution services to now include the US, the Network will be better positioned to innovate and compete in an overwhelmingly digital world to serve today’s 24-hour digitally focused audience.
Over the coming months the Network intends to provide more details around the forthcoming expansion of its multi-platform digital services to the US.
Separately, Al Anstey, CEO of Al Jazeera America, today announced that Al Jazeera America will cease operation by April 30, 2016. While Al Jazeera America built a loyal audience across the US and increasingly was recognized as an important new voice in television news, the economic landscape of the media environment has driven its strategic decision to wind down its operations and conclude its service. Al Jazeera America is committed to conducting this process in a way that is consistent with its respect for colleagues.

このプレスリリースだけを読むとグローバルなデジタルメディア戦略が成功しているからAl Jazeeraアメリカは必要なくなったので閉鎖するみたいな感じですよね。