Israel’s i24News To Launch U.S. channel

Lucy Aharish, Israel’s first Arab prime-time news anchor Image by COURTESY OF I24

By JTA Staff January 29, 2017

(JTA) — i24News, an Israeli international 24-hour news and current affairs television channel, will launch a U.S. news channel with headquarters in New York City’s Time Square and a separate bureau in Washington D.C.

The launch was announced on Thursday. The i24 global news headquarters is located in Jaffa Port near Tel Aviv, with three separate studios that broadcast in three different languages: English, French and Arabic.

With the launch of a U.S. headquarters and studios in New York City and Washington D.C., i24 News viewers around the globe will hear directly from the U.S. Americans will receive perspectives directly from Israel.

The new U.S. channel, which will broadcast in English, is scheduled to launch on February 13 and its first distribution partner is Altice USA. In its initial launch, the channel will be available in the United States on Altice USA’s Optimum TV on its Channel 102 and on Suddenlink TV systems.

i24 News was founded in 2013 by Patrick Drahi, the founder and contolling shareholder of Altice N.V. (euronext: ATC, ATCB).

“In a society where everything has global implication – from politics and healthcare to education and security – i24News in the U.S. will provide a new voice as it melds different points of view with every day developments,” said Frank Melloul, CEO of i24News, in a statement.

i24 News currently employs more than 250 journalists, representing 35 different nationalities. The U.S. news team will be announced in the coming weeks.

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