CNN tops English TV news table in Middle East

CNN reaches 33.4% of the regional TV audience each month, with Al Jazeera English recording 15.5% and BBC World News achieving 13%. On a weekly basis, CNN registers a 21.3% reach, compared to Al Jazeera English with 10.5% and BBC World News with 9.2%. CNN also came out top on a daily basis with a reach of 11.5%, followed by BBC World news at 7% and Al Jazeera English with 4.3%. "To achieve double the reach of the nearest competitor in the Middle East puts CNN in a league of its own, and we thank our viewers for their loyalty," said Tony Maddox, executive vice president, CNN International. "Audiences here not only trust us to follow the extraordinary stories unfolding on their doorsteps, but also to deliver them a true account of the news from every corner of the world. We've made a great commitment to our newsgathering, both in the Middle East and internationally, and these results show – in no uncertain terms – the value of that investment." BBC World News, meanwhile, stressed it reached more viewers each day than other international English language news broadcasters in the Gulf states of the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait. In April, comScore data also rated BBC.com as having the largest reach of any international news website in the Middle East and Africa, attracting 4.5 million unique visitors each month. The EMS Middle East survey, conducted between 19 September and 1 December 2011, covered the top 13% of adults (aged 25-64) by income, living in the major cities of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.