CNN, the US basic cable and satellite television channel, signed a deal with the television channel N1 to air program in the region of the Western Balkans. The start of the program has been scheduled for 2014 from the studios in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Media in the region report that the project has been developed for a long time, as CNN said that this was their first regional news program in the territory of former SFRY to be watched by 20 million people, broadcast in the beginning from the studios in Zagreb, Belgrade and Sarajevo and later from other cities in the region as well.

CNN sees in this undertaking a new chance for expansion and influence bearing in mind that frequently they were the precursors of global processes. Also, according to some, the reason for this expansion is the fact that apart from being turned to the Euro-Atlantic structures, the countries of the Balkans have also directed their eyes toward the East.

Analysts say that CNN and Al Jazeera’s interest in the region is a sign that the region is interesting to report from.