By Adam R Jacobson
RBR + TVBR
In an era of fake news, trust is perhaps the No. 1 issue of concern among consumers seeking an information source that is unbiased and truthful in its reports.
Can a new entrant to the U.S. market, with its global headquarters in Israel, do what Al Jazeera America failed to do while trying to steer clear of chatter over cloudy coverage, which has impaired both Russian government-funded RT and Beijing-controlled CCTV America?
Patrick Drahi, the founder and controlling shareholder of Dutch global media giant Altice N.V., certainly thinks so.
That’s why i24 News saw its stateside debut on Monday (2/13) via Altice USA’s Optimum systems across the U.S., and hopes to attract other MVPDs.
With its U.S. headquarters in the heart of New York’s Times Square, i24 News is pitching itself as the “only 24/7 international news and current affairs channel from the heart of the Middle East.”
Al Jazeera America was similar, but vastly different — with its direct ties to a Doha, Qatar-based organization deep in Arabia. In sharp contrast, i24 is based in the “land of milk and honey” — the Jewish state of Israel.
In addition to the Gotham base for its U.S. operation, i24 News is also up and running with a Washington, D.C. news bureau.
The launch of i24 News in the U.S. comes some four years after its founding in Tel Aviv by Drahi. According to Altice, the network has international distribution in Europe, Africa and Asia. Its arrival on this side of the Atlantic comes following the June 2016 acquisition by Altice of Cablevision from the Dolan family for $17.7 billion.
“What began as a dream of our founder to create a source for news where debate and multiple perspectives were welcome has become a well-respected, differentiated global news organization with a track record of journalistic excellence around the world,” said Dexter Goei, Chairman/CEO of Altice USA. “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.”
Frank Melloul, CEO of i24 News, said the goal of his network in the U.S. is to provide “a new voice as it melds different points of view with everyday developments.”
He added that we live in a society “where everything has global implications – from politics and healthcare to education and security.” Thus, i24 News serves as a model for showcasing how U.S., Middle East and international news can come together, Melloul said.
It also puts i24 News in key global news centers with reporters in a news organization not funded by a government or seemingly influenced in its coverage. “Most of the international news channels belong to governments,” Melloul noted. “We are not receiving any money from any government, and we are not receiving any money from political parties. That means we are the most independent international news channel.”
Altice says i24 News has staffed some 50 individuals between its New York and Washington, D.C. operations. Additional reports will be fed from Tel Aviv and from Paris, where i24 News has a French-language hub.
Live U.S. broadcasts will begin each evening at 6 p.m. Eastern with Crossroads with David Shuster and Michelle Makori, which will analyze and contextualize top stories from around the world with interviews and guests.
Michelle Makori, a veteran of Bloomberg TV and CNN Money, joins i24NEWS from CCTV (now China Global Television Network). David Shuster worked as a reporter for NBC’s Today show and NBC News, hosted his own programs on MSNBC, and has anchored for Al Jazeera America.
At 7 pm. Eastern, Makori will go solo, and hosts ClearCut with Michelle Makori. Shuster returns at 9 p.m. to host Stateside with David Shuster, focusing on the top stories in the U.S. and the world, including field reports, analysis, and guest interviews.
Also joining i24 News as Senior Washington correspondent is Dan Raviv. He joins after spending the last 19 years as a Washington-based national correspondent for CBS News.
Optimum TV subscribers can find i24 News on Channel 102. The channel is also getting a home on Altice-owned Suddenlink systems. In Humboldt County, Calif., for example, the standard definition channel is on Channel 528; the HD feed is on Channel 578.
Further details on programming and content will be revealed in the coming weeks, Altice USA says.
The launch of i24 News bolsters Altice USA’s news operations in the New York Tri-State Area, where it inherited Cablevision’s long-running News 12 Networks found in Westchester County and in Nassau-Suffolk County.
RBR + TVBR
