British Muslim TV due to launch on Sky this month

A new channel called British Muslim TV will be launching on the Sky platform this June.

The channel’s content will reportedly reflect the different voices of the Muslim community in the UK and will embody the tag line “Confidently Muslim, Comfortably British”.

According to an article on the Al Arabiya website, British Muslim TV was conceptualized towards the end of last year and has been undergoing planning since the start of 2014, having quickly established substantial “pre-sold advertising” to make the concept into a reality, according to Wasim Akhtar, Director of Marketing and Communications.

Other members of the senior leadership team include Aamer Naeem, the Editor in Chief, Arshad Ashraf, Director and Danny Lacey, Creative Director of the channel.

5pillarz has asked British Muslim TV about its funding arrangements and is still awaiting a response. However, sources have told us that the main funders are Adeem Younis the founder of singlemuslim.com and his charity Penny Appeal.

At the moment Islam Channel is probably the country’s most prominent free-to-air, English language British Muslim channel. Other channels like Noor TV, Peace TV and Iqra TV have a South Asian focus, with some of the content broadcast in Urdu or Bangladeshi. More recently, Shia focused channels have also emerged like Hidayet TV and Ahlebait TV.

While these channels all have loyal followings many British Muslims complain that the current batch of channels are all too sectarian or poor quality.

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Speaking to Al Arabiya news, Wasim Akhtar, explained that British Muslim TV aims to be different from the other Muslim based channels in the UK by being: “inclusive of all different views and open to all different types of Muslims. So the channel isn’t just about issues of faith, it’s about practical Muslim life here in Britain.”

“We’re really passionate about bringing content that’s relative to the generations of today, so we made sure that our programming isn’t solely made up from presenters or content from overseas. As a result, we feel we will provide both Muslim and non-Muslim communities with news, views and insights into how British Muslims live today.”

British Muslim TV has a line-up of programs that include entertainment and educational formats such as “Teenie Vision” for younger audiences, lifestyle shows like “Halal Kitchen” and political/current affairs based programs.

Lauren Booth will be hosting her own show called “Talking Booth,” a one-to-one interview show.

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