Hundreds of millions around globe follow President Obama's first media interview with Al Arabiya

Why did the new US President single out Al Arabiya as a platform to engage Muslims around the globe? What does this signal to Arabs, Muslims and the rest of the world? Is there a particular message in the choice of the messenger, and if so what is it? How does this interview alter the news-making, news-breaking agendas, and how did Al Arabiya succeed where competitors have failed?

These and other questions were raised by anchors and analysts all over the global media. CNN, ABC, NBC, CBSNews, FoxNews, Euronews, Sky News and other TV networks around the world dedicated hours of coverage to re-broadcast the Obama interview first aired on Al Arabiya and hosted a mob of commentators, pundits and analysts to dissect, probe and scrutinize its timing, from and content. One headline on CNN's website described the interview as "The message the Muslim world was waiting for".

Hundreds of news articles, opinion and editorial pieces have been published across print and web media, some of the most prominent included articles in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Time Magazine and many other leading media outlets.

"How al-Arabiya Got the Obama Interview," Time Magazine Online.

"Respect is not enough," The Guardian Online.

"On Arab TV Network, Obama Urges Dialogue," The New York Times.

"Barack Obama tend la main au monde musulman," Le Monde.

"Obama sends clear signal via Arab TV," The Financial Times.

"Obama Voices Hope for Mideast Peace in Talk With Al-Arabiya TV," The Washington Post.

International newswires such as The Associated Press, Reuters and AFP were quick to publish a full transcript of the interview along with commentary and analysis from experts in international relations and the Middle East region.

On youtube.com, different cut-down and translated versions of the Obama interview on Al Arabiya have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times since they were posted and have seen large responses on forums, blogs and user generated pages.