ABSTRACT
The various overlapping power struggles in the Arab world play an important role in shaping the visual and political economic television landscape in the region. In addition, in the decade or so since the war on terror started, satellite television in the Arab world has witnessed much contestation and competition. The Arab world's first private satellite channel is Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC), which was launched in 1991 in London by the son-in-law of the Saudi King Fahd bin Abd Al-Aziz, and relocated to UAE in 2003. The war on terror contributed to the prominence of al-Jazeera in particular, and satellite television in general, in the Arab world. Satellite television in the region both reflects and reinforces the multi-scalar nature of political conflict in the Arab World. The FCO's involvement in the affairs of the BBC is often downplayed, but the creation of the Arabic language channel is part of the UK government's public diplomacy efforts in the Arab world.
