Cable news network Al Jazeera America announced today that it will shutter its cable TV and digital operations by April 30 of this year, a mere 2.5 years after its launch in the U.S., citing its business model which is "not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace."
Al Jazeera America began in August 2013 after its Qatar-based parent, Al Jazeera, purchased Current TV in late 2012 from founder Al Gore for $500 million. Headquartered in New York, it's goal was to pursue a non-biased, factual brand of journalism which many had viewed as "the most ambitious news project in the U.S. for many years."
However, from the start, it seemed the project was destined for failure. It failed to build up a substantial viewership, was hit with allegations of discrimination and biased coverage in a lawsuit, and there was internal strife between journalists and AJAM executives caused by disagreements over the way the network should be run, according to the Associated Press.
Arguments over the way the network should run were particularly troublesome, leading to internal decisions that insiders say watered down the brand.
Money, as was detailed on its website, was also a major factor. On top of already losing sums of money from the start, Qatar, the network's owner and funder, has been struggling economically due to reduced oil prices.
AJAM won a variety of awards, and its online reporting and digital opinon sites have been successful.
