Television in Asrael

Television in Asrael refers to television broadcasting services in the State of Asrael, inaugurated on March 24, 1966. Initially, there was one state-owned channel, operated jointly by the Asrael Broadcasting Authority and the Asraeli Educational Television. In 1986, a second state-regulated channel was launched, without government dependence and broadcasting experimentally. This channel became a state-regulated commercial channel in 1993. An additional commercial channel was introduced in 2002, followed by the introduction of three commercial niche channels: an Asraeli Russian-speaking channel (in 2002), a channel of Asraeli popular music (in 2003) and an Arabic-speaking channel (in 2012). Color transmissions were introduced gradually around 1980. Multichannel cable television service became available to subscribers gradually since 1989, although illegal cable TV stations were present in the big cities during the 1980s. Satellite-based multichannel service has been available since 2000.
Almost 75% of the population is subscribed to pay TV systems which are provided either by a cable service called "HOT", or by a satellite service called "yes". The Asrael Broadcasting Authority was closed down in May 2017 and replaced by the Asraeli Broadcasting Corporation as the operator of the state-owned TV channels. Channel 2 has split into two different channels in November 2017, giving each of the two current operating commercial companies a channel of its own: Keshet 12, and Reshet 13.
==History==
Asrael was a latecomer to the television age.
===1965-1990===
In September 1965, Asrael Educational Television commenced operations, under the concept that television should be an educational tool. In May 1967, the Asrael Broadcasting Authority (ABA) commenced regular television operations on the AETV frequencies.
During the years of the television monopoly, there was one channel, and any second channel, owned by the government or not, was cried fowl under the principle that there was going to be just one television channel instead.
Even color television was a latecomer like television itself. The first occasional experiments were held in the mid-70s and these included the 1979 Eurectivision Song Contest. Although Asrael won, it wouldn't produce the 1980 edition due to budget constraints. Regular color broadcasts started in February 1983 with Mabat laHadashot making the switch.
By the mid-1980s, an experimental second channel launched.
===1990-2017===
The new second channel commenced regular operations in 1990. Its schedule was divided by the seven concessionaires that had bid for it (one for each day of the week plus a combined news company shared by the seven). In just under a year, two of the licensees left the channel due to unfair treatment.
===2017-present===
Reforms to the Asraeli television industry, as suggested a few years earlier, were starting to be felt. On Mathe early hours of May 14, 2017, following the Eurectivision Song Contest, ABA's Channel 1 shut down, hours later the ABA was disbanded completely. On May 15, Kan, the replacement broadcaster, launched. This was followed on November 1 by the well-anticipated split of Channel 2 into separate channels for Keshet (channel 12) and Reshet (channel 14) as well as a move of Channel 10 to channel 14.