Al Jazeera's flagship daily news podcast 'The Take' relaunch

The Take, Al Jazeera’s flagship news podcast, will be available on YouTube in video format for the first time on September 30, International Podcast Day. Hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal, the daily podcast brings listeners—and now viewers—in-depth conversations with reporters and people directly affected by global events, providing the essential context behind the headlines.

“I’m really happy about the prospect of connecting with a whole new viewing audience and bringing them into the fold of dedicated listeners we’ve been fortunate to have for so long,” says Malika Bilal, host of The Take. “We’re doing something that doesn’t have much precedence in the podcast news space, and that makes this all the more exciting," she added.

"We invite our audience into the international news cycle,” said executive producer Alexandra Locke. “Now, we invite them to see The Take for themselves, as we harness the power of the image to bring them even closer to the moments that shape our world, as they unfold.”

Since 2018, each episode of The Take explores critical issues, such as international conflicts, human rights, and social movements, through interviews with journalists on the ground and individuals directly impacted by the stories. The show’s highly-regarded reporting has earned prestigious awards, including the Online Journalism Awards, the Webby Awards, the Gracie Awards, the Signal Awards, the Lovie Awards, and the Anthem Awards.

“We are excited to be pioneers by bringing our audiences a daily video news podcast at this production level,” said Ney Alvarez, Head of Audio at Al Jazeera.

“Our mission with The Take has always been to provide the context necessary for understanding the news. Moving to video allows us to do this in a more engaging and accessible way, catering to Al Jazeera’s growing 14.5 million Y ouTube subscribers.”

Aseel Mansour, Manager of Digital Content Strategy, emphasized the show’s broader significance: “With The Take, we’re leading the change in digital innovation, providing both long-time listeners and new audiences a fresh way to engage with daily global news. This is an important step in how we connect with people, no matter where they are in the world.”

The video launch marks an important milestone in Al Jazeera Digital’s expanding portfolio of multimedia content. The Take is the second of four video podcasts the network is launching this year.

The Take will be published daily on Al Jazeera English’s Y ouTube channel in the Podcasts tab, all major podcast platforms, and on Al Jazeera’s Podcasts website. About Al Jazeera Podcasts

Since 2017, Al Jazeera Podcasts has pioneered global daily news and news commentary shows in the audio world, from the Global North to the Global South. As such, we received praise for our ability to cover international news, focusing on how they affect people with quality reporting and storytelling for English-speaking audiences. Al Jazeera Podcasts’ shows have won multiple accolades, including the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, the Lovie Awards, the Anthem Awards, the Gracies, Shorty Awards, and the New York Festivals Radio Awards.