BBC Monitoring

Text of report in English by Qatari newspaper Gulf Times website on 12 September

Astro Indonesia, a pay television in Indonesia, has announced a partnership with Al Jazeera English following the completion of a carriage deal, according [to] reports.

Al Jazeera English, the 24-hour English language news and current affairs channel, headquartered in Doha, broadcasts to over 100m households worldwide.

According to the reports, Astro has started carrying Al Jazeera English on its DTH [direct-to-home satellite] platform on channel 39 in Indonesia.

The deal forms part of the basic content package, which makes the channel available alongside other international news channels.

Astro chief executive officer Nelia M. Sutrisno said Al Jazeera English has unrivalled expertise in covering the Middle East and under-reported countries around the world. "I am thrilled that Astro viewers can now tune into [the] channel for a different perspective on the news," Sutrisno said.

Speaking on the partnership, the director of global distr! ibution at Al Jazeera, Phil Lawrie, said: "We highly value our pre-existing relationship with Astro, which has been carrying Al Jazeera English in Malaysia since the channel's launch in November 2006 and we are delighted that Astro Indonesia is now carrying Al Jazeera English."

Source: Gulf Times website, Doha, in English 12 Sep 07