WASHINGTON (TIP): Al Jazeera America will shut down its news channel despite spending heavily to break into the US market.

Al Jazeera CEO Al Anstey said the business model “is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges”.

Launched in 2013 vowing to be a more serious and in-depth alternative to CNN and Fox News, the Qatar-based broadcaster spent millions of dollars hiring top US journalists but struggled to bring viewers to its news programs

The network replaced Current TV, a network founded by former US Vice President Al Gore, for around $500 million.

Al Jazeera promised to expand its coverage of the US online after the channel shuts down in April.

Politico notes that the channel reached an average of 19,000 viewers each day in 2015, far fewer than its competitors.