RT (Russia Today) press release, 20 Nov 2012: "During the 3rd quarter of 2012 RT's audience among all news channels in the UK was third largest after BBC News and Sky News according to BARB. It was also greater than the audience of all other English-language foreign news channels tracked by BARB, including Al Jazeera English, Fox News and Euronews. Nearly 2.5 million of UK viewers tuned in to watch RT during 3Q2012 according to the publically available BARB report. The report also shows that in average weekly ratings RT is ahead of Al Jazeera English, has double the viewership of Euronews and surpasses the audience of US' Fox News by more than three times over the same period. ... BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) began measuring RT in its weekly rankings in the summer of 2012. BARB provides official TV audience measurement in the UK. The organization collects overnight data on TV viewership of more than 250 channels that broadcast in the UK through the top-box technology which tracks the watching of specific programs in participating households. Its findings are publically accessible and are among the most credible statistics of this kind available in Britain." With link to table of BARB ratings. -- CNN is not mentioned in the BARB ratings, indicating that is not on any cable or satellite system that is measured by BARB. Also, no France 24, Euronews, or CCTV News.

Middle East Online, 16 Nov 2012, Anna Malpas: "Russia's state English language channel Russia Today (RT) scored one of its biggest scoops by interviewing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but its coverage of the crisis has come under increasing scrutiny over alleged pro-regime bias. Assad dramatically used the exclusive interview with the Kremlin-funded channel to pledge 'to live and die' in Syria, days after RT was criticised by British television watchdog Ofcom for lack of balance in one of its news broadcasts on Syria. But RT -- which has the slogan 'Question more' and was launched in 2005 in a bid to promote Russia's viewpoint globally -- accuses Western media of a bias towards the rebels. 'We definitely see a lot of bias in the mainstream media coverage of events in Syria,' the channel's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said by email in answer to written questions." See previous post about RT and Ofcom.