Khaberni - “Sky News Arabia” parted ways with Lebanese broadcaster Nadim Koteich after one year as head of the station.
Koteich confirmed the accuracy of the reports talking about his departure in a tweet on the platform X, where he announced the end of his journey with the channel.
The reports previously showed that Koteich quietly left his position over the past weeks, with no comment issued by the channel to this moment.
Nadim Koteich was appointed as the general manager of the network at the beginning of 2024, a step that received wide attention due to his media presence and his controversial political stances. During his tenure, the channel experienced significant shifts in its editorial tone, particularly in its coverage of sensitive regional portfolios, most notably the Gaza war and political developments in Lebanon.
Koteich sparked widespread controversy last year due to his public statements supporting the Israeli occupation, repeated criticism of the resistance factions in Gaza and Lebanon, along with his frequent appearances on digital platforms defending normalization, and his writings in the Hebrew newspaper "Times of Israel," which negatively reflected, according to his critics, on the channel's image among some segments of the Arab audience.
Lebanese sources mentioned that the decision to lay off Koteich came as a result of accumulated factors, among them administrative and financial disputes, where the information indicates that he demanded a significant increase in the channel’s budget to boost its competitiveness, which was met with reservation from the management, along with notes related to his resource management methods during the previous period.
Additionally, the public disputes Koteich had with Arab journalists played a role in escalating the debate, especially the dispute that erupted between him and the Saudi journalist Dawood Al-Shirian on the platform "X," which turned into a verbal spat that drew wide criticism, and was seen as an indicator of the intensifying discourse within the Gulf media scene.
Media leaks indicated that the management of "Sky News Arabia" now sees the sharp political discourse adopted by Koteich as a burden on the channel, given the regional political changes and the Arab public's sensitivity towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict issues.
Koteich Tweets
After silence on previous reports, Koteich tweeted today, bidding farewell to the channel after a professional career spanning five years.
Koteich, in a statement released through his account on the platform “X,” said that yesterday (Tuesday) was «an extraordinary day at Sky News Arabia» where he expressed his gratitude for the affection and love he received, considering his experience in the channel as the result of «ten years of work not just two.»
He explained that he joined the channel in the summer of 2020, presenting the show «Tonight with Nadim,» which he viewed as one of the channel's most prominent programs and embodied his unique style in critical, satirical political analysis, as an extension of his previous experience with his program «DNA» on Future TV, Al-Hadath, and Al-Arabiya.
Koteich added that he took over the channel's management at the beginning of 2024 and led one of the widest developmental operations in its history at both editorial and technical levels, noting his leadership of the team during highly complex periods, including coverage of the Gaza and Lebanon wars, the fall of Assad's regime, the Israeli war on Iran, and the American presidential elections.
He praised the support he received from the senior management and colleagues, specifically mentioning the chairman of the board, Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber, who personally came to express his appreciation, despite his busy schedule.
He also noted his supervision, along with the management and editorial team, on moving the channel to its new main headquarters on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, describing this phase as one of the most prominent periods of institutional development in the channel's history.
Koteich noted that his role allowed him to meet several world leaders and decision-makers, among them Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shar’, in addition to participating in high-level meetings that helped deepen his understanding of international and regional policies.
Koteich concluded his statement by affirming that his departure comes from a position of strength and success, expressing confidence in the team’s ability to continue the course, and noting that the channel achieved annual growth rates exceeding 25% and tens of billions of views and hundreds of millions of interactions across its various platforms, without disclosing specific details in commitment to the organization’s confidentiality.
Koteich confirmed that he looks forward to a new phase, returning to his preferred role as a content creator, considering that «what’s to come will be better and more exciting.»
