SKY NEWS IS set to launch a new 24-hour Arabic-language channel in an attempt to compete with other news outlets across the Arab world.

The rolling news channel, called Sky News Arabia, is already operating online and will begin broadcasting to TV platforms tomorrow.

Around 400 journalists, producers and technicians will work on the new channel, which is based in Abu Dhabi, Sky News said.

It will be in competition with a number of other channels including al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based broadcaster which has carved out a prominent position in the global news market and especially in Arabic-speaking countries.

“Our aim has been to create an impartial and independent breaking news channel for the Arab world,” channel head Nart Bouran said.

Sky News Arabia will offer the ‘MENA’ [Middle East and North Africa] region a fresh approach to television news with an independent editorial mandate at the heart of everything we do.

The channel is a joint venture between BSkyB, which runs Sky News from the UK, and the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation.

It has attracted more than 100,000 likes on Facebook, and around 5,000 Twitter followers.