Fox News May Soon Have an Israeli News Channel

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By Lior Zaltzman March 24, 2016

Is Israel getting its own “Fox News?”

Israeli satellite company, Yes, has begun negotiations with Fox News over a possible 24-hour news channel, which would air completely in Hebrew.

This is part of the fight between satellite and cable companies and commercial channels in Israel. The commercial channels, Channel 2’s Reshet and Keshet, who provided Israel’s main news TV programs, have been fighting to be able to be broadcast along public access TV, so that their viewing would not necessitate having a satellite or cable subscription. In retaliation, Yes, Israel’s satellite company, is petitioning to start its own news channel.

Yes would have to hire a technical and editorial staff for the channel, which would be at the disposal of Fox News, while the Yes-based news channel would be able to use Fox reporters and reportage from around the world and translate programming to Hebrew.

If this move succeeds, the Yes-based channel would be the first of its kind in Israel to air 24/7. Still, Yes has a few hurdles to jump through. Currently, Israeli law prohibits Israeli satellite and cable companies from broadcasting their own news programming, so the law would have to be amended. According to Calcalist, the current minister of communications Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to support such an amendment.

So is Fox News coming to Israel? It seems like a real possibility. Now the question is, who is the Israeli Bill O’Reilly? And what would be the Israeli equivalent of the Kelly File?

[H/T Calcalist]

Lior Zaltzman was the Forward’s Digital Fellow. Follow her on twitter @liorca.

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