The BBC’s relationship with the Arabic language dates back to the 1930s through its radio service. In the age of the internet, it also has an established Arabic presence online. Estimates peg the BBC’s Arabic radio audience at 30 million and Arabic website usage at 1.2 million per day.
Why then, one is forced to ask, did they take so long to enter the Arabic television market? Jerry Timmins, head of the BBC World Service’s Africa and Middle East region, responds with a chuckle. He repeats the question before elaborating on the “why”.
“We didn’t have enough public money,” he told Weekend Review from his office in London. An attempt, he says, was made previously with Saudi Arabia’s Orbit as a partner but differences in the editorial compounded by an unsustainable commercial model led to its scrapping.
“We always wanted to launch the Arabic channel but the lack of funding prevented us even though we were well aware of the urgency to get back in TV. We had done quite a bit of research on the media trends and audience expectations and found that the BBC presence was welcome in the region,” he says.
Although the broadcaster’s decision to enter the Arabic market did cause concern in some quarters of the United Kingdom, as it is funded by taxpayer money, Timmins says that the World Service division of the BBC is in fact entirely funded by the British government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. His clarification immediately prompts the next question — on agenda-pushing.
“The BBC’s editorial guidelines and policies are not in any way governed by the institutions or departments that fund it. We are an independent authority committed to accurate news and fact-finding,” he states.
Headquartered in London, the Arabic service has correspondents and reporters based in key cities around the world, but Timmins is quick to admit that the content will largely centre on issues and interests of its core audience.
“In terms of content, it’s an international news channel and capitalises on the BBC’s strength of covering a broad news agenda. The difference is that it is targeting an Arab audience, so the news content from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will definitely be more,” he says.
Given that Arabic TV channels are traditionally perceived by non-Arabs as having a distinct style of presentation driven by the passions of the people, would the BBC, with its hallmarks of crisp reporting and restrained reportage, survive in the region?
“It’s very true that the region is an intense and passionate one and culturally quite different from the West in terms of expressing emotions. However, that’s where our research has helped,” he says.
Brand BBC, according to Timmins, is strong in the Arab world. The broadcaster’s audience research revealed that 85 per cent of the people in seven Arab capitals were “likely or very likely” to watch a BBC Arabic TV service.
“We are perceived as a credible source of news and one that is accurate and impartial, telling the stories of all sides,” he says.
The quest of free and fair journalism is the favourite sound-byte of all television news broadcasters — across the world — but despite the news reports of Arab countries having decided on punishing satellite channels “deemed to have offended Arab leaders or national or religious symbols”, Timmins remains totally unperturbed.
“Upsetting leaders is a risk we run anywhere we report from. Our job is to report news and not be influenced by any commercial entity or government. We intend to do our job,” Timmins says.
In terms of transmission, the BBC is at present free-to-air on Arabsat and Nilesat and also available for viewing on the internet. However, the large discrepancies over technological advancement in the region are occasionally an obstacle in reaching out to more viewers.
“The Gulf countries are remarkably ahead, but if one goes to parts of North Africa, there are places where there’s no access. However, we’re out there and getting to people using whatever means we can — shortwave, medium-wave, FM, TV, internet, anything,” he says.
The Arab media is, according to reports and surveys, flourishing. In an essay for the International Herald Tribune, Mohammad Elmenshawy writes that more than 250 Arab TV stations exist and the private channels enjoy a higher viewership than the ones funded by the government.
Al Jazeera, the most famous Arab channel, is reported to have an audience of more than 70 million regular viewers worldwide.
Media studies of audience trends have also indicated that Arab viewers — though keen followers of news and analysis shows — spend more time watching entertainment channels.
Timmins is, needless to say, aware of his audience and believes that the Arab voices heard in his field research will definitely translate into more eyeballs on the BBC’s TV channel.
Vinita Bharadwaj is an independent writer based in Dubai.
