Doha, Qatar — marked its 30th anniversary on Sunday with a special commemorative event at its headquarters in the Qatari capital, attended by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other dignitaries. Launched on November 1, 1996, by late Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani as an independent channel operating as a private corporation for public benefit, the network sought to provide “the opinion and the other opinion” by bringing marginalized perspectives into mainstream Arab broadcasting.
“For three decades, has helped transform the way news is covered in the Arab world, making room on screen for voices, issues and perspectives that had not been given the space they deserved,” Director of News Raed Fakih said in a statement. Fakih added that the network is building on its legacy to broaden its coverage scope and give greater prominence to a wider range of viewpoints.
The anniversary coincides with a significant restructuring of the Media Network’s Arabic-language news services. The reorganization separates rolling breaking news coverage, live event broadcasting, and in-depth reporting across three distinct channels.
Over the past three decades, the network has grown from its initial Arabic-language satellite launch into a multi-language media organization spanning television, websites, and digital platforms. Operating more than 70 bureaus worldwide with a staff of over 3,000, now reaches more than 430 million homes. In 2006, the network expanded its reach further with the launch of its English-language channel.
That growth, however, has come at a severe human and operational cost. ’s bureaus have faced bans from at least nine governments across the region, and its offices have repeatedly been targeted or bombed. In 2001, the network was the sole foreign broadcaster in Kabul during the United States attack on Afghanistan. A decade later, its live coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings earned the network a prestigious Peabody Award.
Exclusive reporting has frequently made the network a target of state aggression. In 2003, a U.S. strike on its Baghdad office killed correspondent Tareq Ayyoub. In total, two dozen journalists have been killed over the network’s history. Among them was Palestinian correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier in Jenin in 2022. Another 12 journalists were killed over a 30-month period during military operations in Gaza, including Anas al-Sharif, who was killed alongside four colleagues in an August 2025 strike on a press tent outside al-Shifa Hospital. Regional governments have also moved to restrict its operations; Israel banned the network and raided its Ramallah office in 2024, followed months later by a suspension from the Palestinian Authority.
Alongside its structural changes, used Sunday’s anniversary to launch “The Core,” an artificial intelligence initiative developed in collaboration with Google Cloud and first announced in December 2025. The tool is designed to integrate AI into daily newsroom operations to help journalists handle information, coordinate coverage, and navigate the network’s extensive archives. Additionally, Balkans was relaunched in a new digital-first format, signaling a fresh chapter for the regional branch.
