Al Jazeera has put in an offer for the Turkish channel Cine 5.
According to Hurriyet, the Qatar-based new network was the only party to lodge a bid for Cine 5, which is being auctioned off for the fifth time. However, the amount Al Jazeera is willing to pay – $21 million (€15.4 million) – is just over half the $40 million being sought by the Savings Deposit and Insurance Fund (SDIF).
The latter will decide this coming Friday (February 4) whether to dismiss Al Jazeera’s offer or continue with the process.
Even if Al Jazeera fails in its bid for Cine 5, it still has plans to launch a Turkish language news channel based in Turkey in the near future.