The UAE's leading telecom group Etisalat today announced the launch of the Israel-based network i24NEWS on eLife and Switch TV, to be included in the services basic package at no extra cost. This makes i24NEWS the first channel broadcast from Israel and available in the United Arab Emirates. The partnership between Etisalat and i24NEWS comes after the UAE signed a peace agreement to normalize ties with Israel in September.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Etisalat Group is one of the world's leading telecom groups in emerging markets. Etisalat offers variety of content on its TV platforms: eLife and Switch TV. eLife TV offers consumers premium entertainment content with over 500+ Live linear channels, 6 dedicated 4K linear channels, SVOD and premium video on demand. The service is available in the UAE, offering a mix of the best Arabic, Asian, Western TV and premium sports tv channels and on-demand content. eLife customers can now watch i24NEWS (English) on channel 537 and i24NEWS (Arabic) on channel 520. Switch TV is Etisalat's new direct-to-costumer OTT service. Switch TV is available in the UAE, offering a mix of Arabic, Asian and Western TV channels in an on-demand library with around 10,000 hours of content available. The platform leverages Synamedia's infinite cloud TV platform and video network portfolio to offer viewers a multi-screen service. Switch TV users can now watch TV i24NEWS (English) on channel 264 and i24NEWS (Arabic) on channel 265
i24NEWS is an international news network that operates three channels: Arabic, English and French. Launched in July 2013, i24NEWS broadcasts international news alongside extensive coverage of the Middle East and Israel, from its Jaffa Port main studios and studios in the US and Europe. i24NEWS is part of the Altice Group, owned by respected businessman Patrick Drahi and since its inception has been led by CEO Frank Melloul.
Frank Melloul, i24NEWS's founder and CEO said that "thanks to the changes in the region, news teams in the Middle East will be able to cover events from a variety of angles, and at i24NEWS we take pride in being the first to provide this full picture to viewers worldwide, and now in the UAE. As we keep developing our content to our loyal audience, we continuously reach new viewers and increase our distribution. We thank Etisalat for a groundbreaking move, which is an expression of the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
