Al Jazeera (StarSat 401 / DStv 406) has quietly launched Al Jazeera+, or AJ+, as a new, standalone, online video news service at ajplus.net.
"AJ+ will give you a fresh take on news, culture and current events from around the world," says Al Jazeera+.
AJ+ is starting out on YouTube, watchable worldwide. Al Jazeera is planning an "AJ+" mobile app which it says is "coming soon".
AJ+ is also looking for pitches from content and video producers. "We're looking for stories driven by strong characters, compelling voices and narratives, and unique insights into events and issues that may be local but resonate globally," says AJ+. "Stories should be current but not necessarily tied to current events".
AJ+ currently has short clips like "Apartheid explained", "4 Ways Brazil is losing the World Cup", "Mandela the Rebel", "Boko Haram explained", "Is BitCoin risky?" and "South Africa by the numbers: HIV, Povery and Illiteracy".
Al Jazeera didn't say anything officially about the launch of AJ+ but the service will compliment the existing 24-hour TV news channel which has recently been experiencing major technical problems since earlier this month and which Al Jazeera also isn't talking about and declined to answer questions about.
