CNN

January 20th, 2014

CNNArabic Unveils New Site

CNN MARKS 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARABIC WEBSITE WITH NEW DESIGN AND NEW FEATURES

 

CNN International today announced the re-launch of CNNArabic.com, its online Arabic news offering, as the website marks its 12th anniversary. The reinvented CNNArabic.com includes a range of new features providing a seamless user experience across all devices as the website embraces rapidly evolving consumer needs.

At the heart of the re-launch is the new concept of responsive design. Ensuring an optimal user experience for consumers across any device and wherever they are, CNNArabic’s responsive design – not yet adopted by the leading Arabic news portals in the Middle East – adapts content to fit the device being used.

The new features now available as part of this fundamental design change ensures the site is highly social, snappy, and interactive, with greater emphasis on visual content. Additional newsgathering resources have been added to help deliver a wider reach of local and regional stories and exclusive interviews. The enhancements also include new type and font sizes and improved access and greater depth to images and video.

“The Middle East is one of the fastest growing mobile Internet markets and the ideal place for a site built around evolving news consumption habits,” commented Peter Bale, VP and General Manager CNN Digital International. “As the leading international multiplatform news brand, CNN is bringing the most modern design and technology to the Arabic language market, with the new CNNArabic reflecting our ambition to be quick to embrace relevant new formats while also listening carefully to the needs of our consumers.”

Caroline Faraj, CNN Arabic digital services director, said “We are delighted to mark the 12th anniversary of CNNArabic.com this year with the launch of the new CNNArabic website. Over the years, CNNArabic.com has become the home of not just breaking news, but also human interest stories and in-depth regional coverage and this is a significant new phase to build further on how we have evolved.”

“The new look and feel of CNNArabic.com means it has never been easier to navigate,” added Faraj. “And from an editorial point of view, we are particularly interested in encouraging Arab speakers from around the world to use our platform and interact with our users.”

Rani R. Raad, Chief Commercial Officer CNN International, said: “This is a major milestone in CNNArabic’s evolution. The new design will provide Arab speakers around the world with an optimal digital experience whenever and wherever they consume our content. It is also a further signal of our ongoing commitment to delivering first-class content across all platforms to highly engaged audiences.”

In addition to the CNNArabic operation based in Dubai, CNN’s presence in the region includes its broadcast and production centre, CNN Abu Dhabi. Its wide programming remit from the region includes the feature shows ‘Inside the Middle East’, ‘CNN Marketplace Middle East’, the newly launched ‘One Square Meter’ and the nightly ‘Global Exchange’ programme. CNN’s regional bureaux include Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and Jerusalem.

 

New features on CNNArabic.com

Responsive design

The restyled website will be launched with responsive design, meaning that regardless of the device or screen size, users will be presented with the optimum experience.

Newsfeed

The redesigned platform revolves around the central “newsfeed” containing hundreds of curated articles – from top stories and trending now packages, to features on subject areas such as technology, business and specific topics.

Social

CNNArabic.com brings social to the forefront of the site with embedded ‘buzz checks’ and Facebook commenting weaved into the fabric of the new site.

Continuous scroll

CNNArabic.com’s cutting edge continuous scroll technology allows users to consume the news quickly by seamlessly moving from story to story.

 

Join us on:

Twitter – @cnnarabic

https://www.facebook.com/CNNArabic

http://www.youtube.com/cnnarabic

 

For more information, please contact:

Zeina Jamra
CNN International
+971 4 4467714
Zeina.jamra@turner.com

 

About CNN in the Middle East

CNN is the leading international news brand in the Middle East (EMS Middle East June 2012). Its regional operations include the CNN Abu Dhabi bureau which opened in November 2009 and the CNNArabic.com website which has been based out of Dubai since January 2002. Its programming remit from the region includes the feature shows ‘Inside the Middle East’ and ‘CNN Marketplace Middle East’ and the nightly ‘Global Exchange’ programme. CNN’s regional bureaux include Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and Jerusalem.

About CNN International

CNN’s portfolio of news and information services is available in five different languages across all major TV, internet and mobile platforms reaching more than 375 million households around the globe. CNN International, awarded “News Channel of the Year” by the Royal Television Society in March 2013, is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America. The CNN digital network is consistently one of the top news and current affairs destination on the web. CNN has 45 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

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