Al Jazeera America (AJAM) is an American basic cable and satellite news television channel that is owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is partly funded by the House of Thani, the ruling family of Qatar. The channel, which was launched on August 20, 2013, directly competes with CNN, HLN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and in certain markets, RT America. The channel is Al Jazeera's second entry into the U.S. television market, after the launch of beIN Sport in 2012.
The channel is headquartered and run from studios on the first floor of the Manhattan Center in New York City. It also has a total of 12 bureaus located in Washington, D.C., at the channel's D.C. studios at the Newseum, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Miami, and San Francisco (former headquarters of Current TV and current headquarters of online channel AJ+).
Because Current TV (the channel Al Jazeera America replaced) operated on a standard definition feed, it is transmitted from cable providers that previously carried Current TV in standard definition only, even though the channel produces its programming in high definition due to Al Jazeera still being under Current's carriage deals on those providers. Google Fiber, Bright House Networks andTime Warner Cable were the first providers in the United States that broadcast Al Jazeera America in high definition due to those being new deals.
On May 14, 2014, Verizon FiOS added high-definition carriage on its service. On June 27, 2014, AT&T U-Verse added the channel.
As of February 2015, 61,513,000 homes (52.8% of households with television) receive Al Jazeera America
