Al Jazeera English in talks with US cable providers

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Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English, is holding talks with US cable providers about carrying the network in the US for the first time.

According to a release from Al Jazeera , the first meeting is scheduled for today in New York with Comcast. The Qatar-based broadcaster said that the meetings are the result of a "surge of interest" in Al Jazeera English following its coverage of the Egypt protests.

The Al Jazeera English website claims to have seen a 2500 per cent increase in visitors following its widely praised coverage of the protests in Egypt, despite the network having its Cairo bureau shut down and broadcasting licence revoked .

"We’re very grateful for all the support and appreciation we’ve been receiving," Anstey said in a release.

"Clearly the demand is there for Al Jazeera and people want to see us on their screens."

The meetings between Al Jazeera English and US cable companies follow a campaign by the broadcaster – and calls from figures such as media professor Jeff Jarvis – for US cable providers to support the service. Jarvis argued in a blog post that AJE's online-only stream "is not going to have the same impact – political and education impact – that putting AJE on the cable dial would have".