i24NEWs: Unbiased and reliable reporting
● The organisation has been gaining international recognition for its credible reportage
In July 2013, i24NEWS launched three new news channels in English, French and Arabic. From its specially built studios in Jaffa Port, on the shore of the Mediterranean, the channel began broadcasting international news alongside extensive coverage of the Middle East. i24NEWS is part of the Altice Group, owned by respected businessman Patrick Drahi and since inception it has been led by CEO Frank Melloul. From its first broadcast until today the channel is fulfilling its vision of broadcasting quality, unbiased, reliable reports to the world accompanied by a wide range of viewpoints, analysis and opinions.
In addition to up-to-theminute news, the channel also features a wide variety of current affairs shows and reports on such subjects as economy, defence, sport, hi-tech and culture. Magazine shows and special interviews are broadcast between the hourly news updates. Great emphasis is placed on hosting panel discussions featuring guests with different and differing views, to better illustrate the complexity of stories. As a truly independent international news channel in the Middle East, i24NEWS television channels and websites cover a wide range of topics and place them on the day’s news agenda.
I24NEWS’ unique coverage is to a large extent due to the special make-up of the channel – more than 150 journalists who hail from 35 different countries and work effortlessly together.
As a leading channel focusing on Middle East events, the i24NEWS international network will have a week of special broadcasts to mark the normalisation of relations between the UAE and Israel, and Bahrain and Israel. The highlight was the celebratory live coverage around the signing ceremony at the White House, in the presence of President Donald Trump, Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani.
“This historic event is totally connected to the DNA of our network; showing the reality of a new Middle East on its path to normalisation,” says Frank Melloul, founder and CEO of i24NEWS.
In 2017, after only four years on air, i24NEWS expanded into the North American market and opened bureaus in the United States. Today, the channel has studios in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Paris, New York, Washington and Los Angeles and deploys correspondents all over the world. I24NEWS is broadcast around the world through satellite and cable platforms. The channel continues to garner viewers and is now available to one billion households.
This expansion around the world is also reflected in this special broadcast week, covering the historical agreements between Israel and the UAE and between Israel and Bahrain. I24NEWS correspondents are reporting from various key locations around the world – the White House lawn, a special outdoor studio in Jerusalem, the heart of Dubai, Paris, Ramallah, and from the i24NEWS studios in Jaffa. The i24NEWS current affairs programmes are hosting commentators and analysts who discuss and analyse the details of the normalisation treaty and its effects on the Middle East. Throughout the day, the i24NEWS hourly news flashes are extended to include live reports from various key locations, along with in-depth stories and on-air analysis. All the celebratory events and speeches are broadcasting live, with simultaneous translation, for the benefit of i24NEWS viewers.
Although i24NEWS has been broadcasting for only a few years, it continues to gain international recognition as a source of reliable and accurate information. I24NEWS reports and interviews are regularly cited in other media, exemplifying the regard in which the channel is held.
In honour of the occasion, the internet paywall was removed to enable free viewing on the three i24NEWS channels, through the website www.i24NEWS.tv.