The new al-Jazeera English-language channel has signed up more than 20,000 US subscribers to its online service, side-stepping the cable operators whose reluctance to carry the channel overshadowed its launch last November.

Nigel Parsons, managing director of al-Jazeera English, said US viewers made up 60 per cent of the Doha-based channel’s online audience. It has a deal with Globecast in the US, but has blamed political opposition to its Arabic sister company for its failure to secure distribution on any large US cable network.