A Saudi Arabian satellite news channel went on air on Sunday, becoming the fourth television channel transmitting from the oil-rich kingdom and the first to specialise in news and current affairs.
Al-Ikhbariya will initially be on air for 12 hours a day before eventually transmitting around the clock, officials at the station said.
The channel has 46 correspondents in the country and abroad, including three Saudi Arabian women among its news anchors, they said.
The new station, which will broadcast hourly news bulletins, is overseen by the information ministry, as are the two other national channels, one of which broadcasts in English, and a third, sports channel.
Al-Ikhbariya joins a growing number of regional satellite news channels, led by Qatar's Al-Jazeera and Dubai-based Al-Arabiya, which is Saudi-owned.
A US-funded television station targeting the Arab world is in the making, and the region will also have access to a French international news channel due to be launched by the end of the year.