Israel's cable service provider HOT is finalizing a deal to carry the English edition of the Gulf-based Al-Jazeera television news programming as part of its TV package. HOT will provide Al-Jazeera's English-language broadcasts instead of CNN, which HOT is dropping from its line-up.
HOT currently carries Al-Jazeera's Arabic programming, as does HOT's satellite TV competitor YES, which already carries Al-Jazeera in English. HOT officials said that CNN broadcasts are more expensive for licensing than other, comparable international news networks.
Al-Jazeera will join an extensive English-language news array on HOT, which provides programming from FOX, Sky News, BBC World, and CNBC Europe.