MTV Israel

Cable television began broadcasting in Israel in the late 1980s, and the networks that emerged offered Israeli subscribers 30–40 channels, many of them foreign services picked up by satellite.[4] Among those channels was MTV, which became available to Israeli viewers in 1990 when cable companies Golden Channels, Matav, Gvanim, and Tevel began carrying MTV Europe.[2] A history of Israeli popular music dates the arrival to the early 1990s and says cable opened Israeli youth culture to European electronic music and U.S. hip-hop.[3] Walla later described the continuous flow of foreign-language hits as filling a gap in local radio and television.[2]

The channel's impact on younger Israeli viewers was measurable almost from the start. A November 2003 Teleseker survey commissioned by IMH, sampling Israeli youths aged 12–17, found that 68 percent said without prompting that they watched MTV for at least an hour a day; when prompted, 80 percent reported watching MTV, compared with only 36 percent for the Israeli music channel Channel 24 — which had only just begun a full broadcasting schedule that same week.[5] Eden Harel became the first Israeli presenter on MTV Europe beginning in 1996, followed by other Israeli presenters including Becky Griffin and Jason Danino Holt.[2]

Before a dedicated Israeli television channel existed, Ananey Communications launched an MTV Israel website in 2007. The site was jointly owned by Ananey and MTV Networks, and Ananey paid MTV an annual franchise fee of $250,000.[6] Globes described Israel as the first country to launch its own MTV site and linked the choice to MTV's inability to sell local television advertising and to the country's rapid adoption of internet and cellular technology.[6] At the launch, MTV executive Matt Graff said the company hoped to establish an Israeli television channel and was "doing internet now, but thinking television"; the channel followed in 2011.[6]

MTV Israel launched as a linear television channel on January 17, 2011, on yes channel 75 and HOT channel 89.[1] Produced by Ananey Communications in cooperation with Viacom, it broadcast 24 hours a day in Hebrew and was projected to reach approximately 1.5 million households.[1] Its announced programming combined international and Israeli music content with international MTV entertainment series, including Jersey Shore, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, The Real World, and Pranked.[1]

The locally produced service adapted its music programming specifically for Israeli viewers. It maintained a local chart, aired Israeli music videos, and developed programs such as MTV Club, in which local DJs selected their favorite tracks.[2] The channel was among the first outlets to broadcast artists including Tzuki, Izzy, and Ido B.[2] Beyond its television schedule, MTV Israel produced youth events including the touring MTV Bounce parties.[2]

In 2015, the local service was split — at least on HOT — into an MTV music channel and a separate MTV Series strand that mainly carried entertainment programming.[2] The Israeli Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council's 2014 annual report had recorded an October 2, 2014 decision approving HOT Systems of Cable Communications Ltd. to change the characteristics of the channel called "MTV Israel" to "MTV MUSIC," though the report does not specify when the change took effect.[7] HOT's channel listings in the same report also included several other MTV-branded services — among them MTV Hits, MTV2, MTV Base, MTV Europe, MTV Rocks, MTV Dance, MTV Live HD, and MTV HD — carried alongside the local Israeli service.[7]

On January 1, 2026, Ynet reported that MTV Israel continued to broadcast to yes and HOT subscribers, including music videos, even as several international MTV music channels — including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live — ceased broadcasting in Israel and other countries.[8]

MTV Israel's reach extended beyond the channel itself into Israeli popular culture and international music recognition. In 2008, Israeli singer Shiri Maimon was selected through the MTV Israel website to represent Israel in the European MTV Awards' "European Best Act" category, beating the Israeli band Izabo in the online selection process; she was described as the first Israeli to perform at the awards.[9]

In 2016, Israeli rapper Erez Sharon — known as EZ — was commissioned by the Jerusalem Film Festival and Jerusalem Development Authority to create a song and music video promoting Jerusalem for MTV Israel.[10] The song, written in English, told the story of a female tourist falling in love with the city.[10] Filming took place at locations including Mahaneh Yehuda market, Jaffa Road, Jaffa Gate, the Tower of David, and a skate park in Liberty Bell Park; a skateboarding sequence on Jaffa Road was cut short when a light-rail tram came close to the crew.[10] The song and video were set to debut at a free MTV Bounce event at Sacher Park on July 13, 2016, celebrating Israeli hip-hop through music and dance, with a lineup that included EZ, Static, Benel Tavori, Noa Kirel, and host DJ Juvi.[10] Director Nimrod Peled stated that the video would receive extensive rotation on MTV Israel and then be distributed to other MTV stations in Europe and to YouTube.[10]