Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Jewish Business News

Business

Patrick Drahi Asks Netanyahu To Air Satellite News Station i24News In Israel

Patrick Drahi: I don’t understand the regulatory logic that allows Al-Jazeera to be aired in Israel, but blocks Israeli news.

Please help us out :
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.

Patrick-Drahi– 

Hot Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT.B1) owner Patrick Drahi has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow the broadcasting of his Israeli satellite news station i24News in Israel.

i24News is broadcast worldwide in English, French, and Arabic. It is neither available in Israel by Hot’s cable network or by satellite broadcaster DBS Satellite Services (1998) Ltd.(YES) nor on DTT Idan+ for purely regulatory reasons.

At a press conference two weeks ago, Drahi said, “I don’t understand the regulatory logic that allows Al-Jazeera to be aired in Israel, but blocks i24News.”

i24News’s studio is the old Jaffa Port Customs House, and its news desk has hundreds of employees. Drahi has invested millions of shekels in the venture, and its business model is unclear, but he apparently considers it a business opportunity.

i24News is an international Israeli news and current affairs channel that provides a balanced account of events in the country, and its audience is global, and not just Jews. The channel is supposed to profit from advertising, but if it is not broadcast in Israel, and until it secures a critical mass of viewers, its budget will be dependent on Drahi’s support. He plans the channel to be the platform for a local news station.

i24News is not aired in Israel because of rules set by the Cable and Satellite Television Broadcasting Council, which seek to prevent ownership of both television stations and broadcasters. The separation of content and infrastructure is intended to keep the stations independent of the cable and satellite broadcasters.

The Prime Minister’s Office spokeswoman declined to respond to the report.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com 

Newsletter



Advertisement

You May Also Like

World News

In the 15th Nov 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:   ·         A new Israeli treatment brings hope to relapsed leukemia...

Entertainment

The Movie The Professional is what made Natalie Portman a Lolita.

Travel

After two decades without a rating system in Israel, at the end of 2012 an international tender for hotel rating was published.  Invited to place bids...

VC, Investments

You may not become a millionaire, but there is a lot to learn from George Soros.