A new channel has arrived in Israel – I24news. This channel differs from most other channels on two essential levels: First, the channel transmits via the Internet, not through cable and satellite; second, the channel is entirely devoted to news and current affairs, meaning it is not a commercial channel – thus making it the first news channel in Israeli history, more than 50 years after Hebrew television broadcasts began.
The channel is funded by Patrick Derhi, a French-Israeli businessman and owner of HOT, and the former richest man in Israel. The channel’s chief executive is Frank Melloul, former senior partner of French public channel France24, and media adviser to the French prime minister from 2005 to 2007. Indeed, there is a great French influence on the channel – which, in parallel with Hebrew, broadcasts in French and Arabic.
The channel was founded by Melul about a decade ago, inspired by the French model, whose goal was to be an international channel that gives an Israeli view of the news in Israel and around the world. The channel began broadcasting in 2013 in foreign languages (Arabic and French). Its broadcasts in Israel began in 2018, but only in the past year was it decided to open broadcasts in Hebrew, and the channel’s passage to its own separate channel within the framework of television.
The channel is independent and claims political neutrality and objectivity – which is reinforced by the spectrum of reporters that have joined it in recent months prior to its launch, including commentators Zvi Yehezkali and Yossi Yehoshua, the moderators Neve Darom and Eliraz Sadeh, Daniel Roth-Avnery, Niv Gilboa, and the main host – Miri Michaeli. Together with them are dozens of well-known reporters and instructors. All that remains is to wish the channel good luck, and invite readers to review it – something that can be easily done on the website, without the need for a actual television.
