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The Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera, that was propelled into the limelight by the broadcast of videotaped pronouncements of Osama bin Laden, launched its first international English-language news channel on 15 November 2006. Al Jazeera Arabic, surrounded by controversies, was highly condemned by British and US governments for its coverage from Afghanistan and it''s continued screening of Osama bin Laden tapes. It was criticised as a terrorist channel and had enraged almost all sectors of international societies with its open and blunt programmes. The channel Al-Jazeera English (AJE) expected to reach a target audience of 40 million households in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. Most Americans opposed the launch and demanded the US government ban its entry in the US market. With such opposition, and the challenge of differentiating itself from its Arabic sister channel as well as its western competitors like CNN (Cable News Network) and BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) World, the success of AJE was uncertain. The case discusses the controversies surrounding the Al-Jazeera Arabic news channel and its impact on the launch of its new global English channel. The case aims at debating the chances for Al-Jazeera English to succeed globally.