LOS ANGELES (January 3, 2013)—The Pan-Arab news channel Al-Jazeera has struggled to win space on American cable television and it finally has it.

Al-Jazeera has acquired Current TV, former Vice President Al Gore confirmed Wednesday.

Gore and his partner Joel Hyatt announced the sale in a statement that said, "Current Media was built based on a few key goals: To give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling.”

"Al-Jazeera has the same goals and, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us."

The acquisition could extend Al-Jazeera's reach beyond a few large U.S. metropolitan areas, where some people can watch Al-Jazeera English.