After only six months on the air, Alhurra TV, the new Arabic-language satellite channel, has quickly attracted a large audience in the Middle East with a diverse schedule of news, talk shows, debates, documentaries and entertaining information programs on a wide variety of subjects from sports to fashion to technology.

These are among the findings of a series of just released surveys conducted across the Middle East by ACNielsen in July and August of 2004. Alhurra began broadcasting on February 14, 2004.

The ACNielsen surveys show that Alhurra TV has been able to make inroads in the very competitive satellite TV market. Weekly viewing rates among adults 15 and over residing in satellite TV households were:

Egypt- 12 percent

Jordan- 29 percent

Kuwait- 33 percent

Lebanon- 20 percent

Morocco- 22 percent

Saudi Arabia- 24 percent

UAE- 20 percent

Alhurra has also proven itself to be a credible source of news and information. In all the countries surveyed, the majority of Alhurra's regular viewers ranked Alhurra's news either "very reliable" or "somewhat reliable."

Egypt- 75 percent

Jordan- 53 percent

Kuwait- 80 percent

Lebanon- 59 percent

Morocco- 78 percent

Saudi Arabia- 73 percent

UAE- 81 percent

Average- 71 percent

"Although we know that there are many hurtles still to overcome, we are attracting millions of viewers with what has proven to be reliable and credible news. This is a major accomplishment. As we continue to grow and evolve we will become an even more important participant in the marketplace of ideas," stated Norman J. Pattiz, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors Middle East Committee. "We are off to a great start and clearly on the right track."

"It's important for the Arab world to have access to accurate news. It is even more important for them to hear free debates," said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Earlier this year, the Sept. 11th Commission highlighted the "promising initiatives" of U.S. international broadcasting in the Arab world, Iran and Afghanistan, and called for increased funding for those efforts.

"The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has asked for much larger resources," the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States said in its report. "It should get them."

Last month, the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy stressed the importance of the growing success of U.S. international broadcasting's major efforts to the Middle East: Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa.

The 2004 Report stated that "bringing accurate and objective news and information to audiences at the center of the war on terrorism – the Middle East – is vital to counter myths about the United States and provide alternatives to extremism in the region." The bipartisan Commission also recommended that Congress should grant the BBG's request for increased funding.

Alhurra TV is the latest and most technologically advanced television organization to enter the crowded Middle East satellite television market. The 24-hour channel broadcasts across the region in Arabic and can be seen in 22 countries via Arabsat and Nilesat which reach approximately 120 million satellite viewers.

Alhurra is operated by a non-profit corporation "The Middle East Television Network" (MTN). MTN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the BBG, an independent federal agency. The BBG provides oversight and serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.

The ACNielsen surveys on Alhurra were conducted through face-to-face interviews. The combined sample size for the countries surveyed was 11,707 adults, 15 years and older. The margin of error is between two and three percent for the various countries surveyed.