to AlJazeera.com, which was launched in 2012 under a separate content administration and identification. This precedent was daring in light of the relatively young age of Al Jazeera. To compare, even given the different environmental contexts and factors of media organisations, the time period between the establishment of CNN as a channel in 1980 and the launch of its news website in 1995 was 15 years. The same is true of the French-lan- guage channel TV5 Monde , which was established 2 January 1984 but did not launch its website until 11 years later in 1995. The speed with which Al Jazeera’s Arabic-and English-language channels were estab- lished, signals an early awareness among the network’s administration of the importance of electronic media in expanding its news operations as well as signals their recognition of the power this new media format held in shaping the future of the industry. It can be said that Al Jazeera’s administration laid the first bricks of its digital vision early on, so it could develop rapidly and keep pace with profound transformations in a world of “networked” societies. This digital vision enabled the chan- nel, and all of its subsequent components, to have not only an active presence in the digital market, but also take ownership of initiative and leadership in creating the digital media industry. AlJazeera.net and the English website were built using a publish- ing system for managing content with multiple services, including au- dio and image downloads among other primary services, which pre- pared them to keep up with all the future developments in the field. The system allowed live interactions on air, such as the broadcaster receiving questions and comments from the audience and users online moment by moment, since the first site was established. After the web cam was introduced, along with the ability to download and share vid- eos, as seen on YouTube in 2006, Al Jazeera began live broadcasts on both of its websites in 2007. One of the historical moments that must be recalled here, which came after the establishment of AlJazeera.net’s electronic adverts unit in 2001, was news headlines delivered via text messages based on an agreement with communications companies in several countries. This service was Al Jazeera’s idea, and it was the catalyst for other such services until about a decade later when market
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