Al Jazeera to be beamed to 11.7 million homes in India

Al Jazeera's English-language news channel is to be beamed to 11.7 million homes in India through a deal with the local broadcaster Dish TV.

More than 48 million consumers will have access to Al Jazeera English, according to a statement issued by the Qatar-based network.

"India is an emerging leader in today's globalised world, and a critical country for Al Jazeera English to broadcast across," said Al Anstey, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English.

The channel already broadcasts to over 250 million households in 130 countries, it said.

Despite gaining distribution deals across the world, Al Jazeera has only recently made significant inroads in the US.

In August, Al Jazeera English hit the airwaves in New York City, and said it was engaged in talks over distribution in other parts of the US.

The Al Jazeera network - which also operates an Arabic-language channel - previously faced hostility from the Bush administration, with some US politicians accusing the Arabic channel as being a platform for anti-American propaganda.