Al Jazeera Media Network

What does Al Jazeera own?
Al Jazeera Media Network operates Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, AJ+, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Balkans, and the Al Jazeera Investigative Unit, among other services. All operate under the Al Jazeera brand umbrella and are owned by the Qatari government through the Qatar Media Corporation.

Is Al Jazeera publicly traded?
No. Al Jazeera is a state-owned organization funded by the government of Qatar. It is not listed on any stock exchange and does not publish public financial statements.

Who founded Al Jazeera?
Al Jazeera was established by decree of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar in 1996, with an initial grant of 500 million Qatari riyals. Many of its founding journalists came from the BBC's Arabic-language television service, which had closed earlier that year.

Where is Al Jazeera headquartered?
Al Jazeera is headquartered in Doha, Qatar, where its main broadcast facilities and editorial leadership are based. The network maintains bureaus in more than 70 countries.

Who owns Al Jazeera?
Al Jazeera is wholly owned by the government of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation. There are no private shareholders. The network's acting Director General stated in a 2017 interview that approximately 90% of the budget comes from the government.

Why was Al Jazeera shut down in Israel?
In May 2024, Israel passed legislation enabling the government to shut down foreign broadcasters deemed a threat to national security, and subsequently ordered Al Jazeera's Israeli operations to close. The Israeli government cited the network's coverage of the Gaza conflict as inciting violence. Al Jazeera denied the allegations and continued broadcasting from outside Israel.

What is AJ+?
AJ+ is Al Jazeera's digital-first news platform, producing short-form video content for social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. It targets younger audiences who do not watch traditional television news and focuses on social justice, inequality, and political topics. AJ+ has built a substantial social media following globally.

Has Al Jazeera been banned in any countries?
Yes. Al Jazeera has been banned or had its operations restricted in several countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and several Gulf states during the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis. The network has also faced restrictions in various other countries at different points in its history.

Al Jazeera was established in 1996 following the closure of the BBC's Arabic-language television service, which had been a joint venture with Saudi Arabia's Orbit Communications. When the BBC Arabic service folded, many of its journalists and production staff were recruited by the newly formed Al Jazeera, providing the channel with experienced broadcast journalists from the outset.

The channel was launched on November 1, 1996, with a mandate to provide independent Arabic-language news coverage. In its early years, Al Jazeera distinguished itself by broadcasting interviews with Israeli officials, which was unusual for Arab media at the time, and by covering internal Arab political affairs with a degree of critical scrutiny that was uncommon in state-controlled regional media.

Al Jazeera gained significant international attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, when the network broadcast video messages from Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures. Western governments, particularly the United States, criticized the network for airing these messages, while others argued that the broadcasts were newsworthy. The controversy brought Al Jazeera to the attention of a global audience and established its reputation as a news source willing to air perspectives that Western broadcasters would not.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Al Jazeera broadcast footage from inside Baghdad during the U.S.-led military campaign, including images of civilian casualties and destroyed infrastructure. The coverage was criticized by U.S. officials and generated significant controversy. Al Jazeera journalists were killed and wounded in incidents involving U.S. military fire during the conflict.

Al Jazeera English launched on November 15, 2006, becoming the first major English-language news channel headquartered in the Middle East. The channel was initially blocked by many U.S. cable and satellite providers, limiting its reach in the American market. Al Jazeera English expanded its U.S. distribution through the 2013 launch of Al Jazeera America, a separate channel targeting American audiences. Al Jazeera America was shut down in April 2016 after failing to attract sufficient viewership and advertising revenue.

The Arab Spring uprisings of 2010 to 2012 significantly elevated Al Jazeera's global profile. The network provided extensive coverage of protests and uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen, and was credited by participants in those movements with amplifying their causes internationally. The coverage also generated controversy, with governments in several affected countries accusing Al Jazeera of inciting unrest.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade, demanding among other conditions that Qatar shut down Al Jazeera. Qatar refused, and Al Jazeera continued operating throughout the blockade period. The blockade was lifted in January 2021 following the Al-Ula Declaration.

In 2023 and 2024, Al Jazeera's coverage of the conflict in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel generated significant controversy. Israel accused Al Jazeera of broadcasting content that incited violence and in May 2024 passed legislation enabling the government to shut down foreign broadcasters deemed a threat to national security, subsequently ordering Al Jazeera's Israeli operations to close. The network continued broadcasting from other locations. The United States Congress also debated legislation that would have required the Qatari government to divest Al Jazeera as a condition of continued U.S.-Qatar relations, though no such legislation had passed as of February 2026.