Al Jazeera: A Middle Eastern Enfant Terrible Goes Global

The case describes the success story of Al Jazeera how it developed from a controversial Arab news channel to a globally respected brand. But how sustainable is Al Jazeera's success? Can it truly transform from an Arabic news channel into an international media network? Can it both leverage and demystify the original Al Jazeera brand when catering to global media consumers? And how should it deal with its financial dependence on the Emir of Qatar going forward?

The objective of the case is to illustrate the challenges a company is facing as it transitions from a "single product, single region" success story to a global company. It helps the student think about the different growth dimensions (product offering, regional scope) as well as the implications this has for branding and economics. In addition the case illustrates the specific challenges of operating in a developing market environment with strong boundary conditions (cultural barriers etc.)