Berlin (dpa) - A New Year message from German Chancellor Angela Merkel will reach a wider audience this year as one of the stations broadcasting the speech announced Wednesday that it would offer subtitles in Arabic and English.State-run broadcaster ZDF will offer Merkel‘s annual speech online with subtitles in Arabic and English shortly after it airs at 7:15pm (1815 GMT) on Thursday.Of the more than 1 million asylum seekers who arrived in Germany this year, a large percentage have fled conflict in the Middle East.Several media outlets have responded to the migration influx by offering Arabic-language programming and newspaper supplements.Earlier this month, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle announced it was upgrading its Arabic programme from a streaming news feed into a satellite-based service, and mass-circulation tabloid Bild hit the newsstands with Arabic pull-outs in September.ZDF has also extended its online service for refugees, according to a statement, and plans to subtitle daily news updates in Arabic and English from January 4, 2016. Subtitles are currently available for children‘s news and selected programming."With Arabic and English subtitles, ZDF wants to reach as many refugees as possible," the broadcaster said in a statement.
