Al Jazeera launches audio-streaming app aimed at low bandwidth markets

The market for providing news to areas starved of bandwidth appears to be growing. Al Jazeera this week announced a new audio web app that will give users in low-bandwidth regions access to a live audio stream of the Al Jazeera TV broadcast on their devices.

According to a press release sent to Memeburn, the service will help Al Jazeera reach new audiences where low internet speeds limit access to video. The primary markets being targeted are Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia.

It’s not the first broadcasting house to take this approach. In 2015, the BBC World Service held competitions in Kenya and South Africa to build digital audio players for African “mobile first” audiences.

Read more: Al Jazeera’s AJ+ launches Apple TV app

“The launch of our Al Jazeera audio streaming service will give new audiences the ability to listen to the live broadcast of our English and Arabic channels,” says Ibrahim Hamid, director of Enterprise and Digital Platforms at Al Jazeera Media Network. “This service adds to our commitment of developing compelling digital experiences for those in areas with low-bandwidth Internet connections in markets such as Africa and South-East Asia.”

According to Samir Ibrahim, director of Distribution and Sales, the platform represents “another opportunity to strengthen our digital footprint and continue in our commitment to bringing access to Al Jazeera content across new platforms.”