i24 News, which was founded in 2013 by Patrick Drahi, announced the launch of a 24/7 news channel in the United States. Drahi is also the founder and controlling shareholder of Altice N.V. i24 News touts itself as “the only 24/7 international news and current affairs channel from the heart of the Middle East.”
The channel’s U.S. headquarters are in New York City’s Times Square, and it also has a bureau in Washington, D.C. “With major studio hubs now in the U.S., Israel, and Europe, i24 News will offer live news reports daily to American viewers, establishing a unique and connected international news organization in the marketplace,” the company says in a statement on Friday. Its global headquarters is in Tel Aviv, and the channel is reportedly available to “millions of households worldwide including Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.”
Launch of the channel in the United States is slated for Feb. 13, and its first distribution partner is Altice USA.
“What began as a dream of our founder to create a source for news where debate and multiple perspectives were welcome, has become i24 News – a well-respected, differentiated global news organization with a track record of journalistic excellence around the world,” Dexter Goei, president of Altice N.V., and chairman/CEO of Altice USA, comments. “Content is core to Altice’s global strategy, and this is an exciting step as we bring i24 News to the U.S. and provide refreshing, balanced content that will offer a new perspective on domestic and international news that consumers cannot watch anywhere else.”
i24 News reports it staffed its U.S. news team with approximately 50 positions to support the N.Y. and D.C. bureaus. At its initial U.S. launch, the channel will be available on Altice USA’s Optimum TV and Suddenlink TV systems.
