Channel 3 (Israel)
Encyclopedia
Hot 3 is an Israel
i television
channel. First introduced as The Family Channel in the early 1990s and later simply as Channel 3, it was one of the very first exclusive channels of regulated cable television in Israel.
At first the channel's Program Schedule was mostly made of Drama
s, some American shows from the past (Soap
, All in the family
), Soap Opera
s such as The Young and the Restless
, and a few experimental original productions.
Within a few years, the channel became the Israeli home of many successful television shows from America and other countries, adding the tag line "The best shows in the world". However, in 2002 the channel lost this privilege due to a financial dispute with Warner Bros.
and could not continue to air content distributed by Warner. This resulted in Channel 3 losing shows such as Friends
, ER
, The Sopranos
and The West Wing - all of which were purchased by other channels.
Since then the channel added more and more original content while continuing to air non-Warner purchased shows. The channel's name was changed to "Hot 3" in 2004, not long after the three Israeli cable companies united and became the "Hot
" company.
To date, the longest-running original show in the channel was "Good Evening with Guy Pines", a televised magazine hosted by Guy Pines, covering the world of entertainment both in Israel and the world. This show aired at least 4 times a week for 13 seasons between 1997–2010, and an earlier version was the Israeli "Entertainment Tonight", also hosted by Pines which aired from 1994 to 1996. Pines also covered events such as film festivals around the world before "Good Evening" started.
January of 2010 saw the launch of Hot 3 HD, a high definition
simulcast
of Hot 3. Although a year earlier, in January of 2009 the channel already produced the first ever Israeli original drama to be shot in high definition - "Timrot Ashan" (Pillars of Smoke).
In October
2011 the original SDTV channel was transferred to 16:9
widescreen
broadcast, with accordance to most of its content, after more than 20 years of broadcasting in 4:3 aspect ratio.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
channel. First introduced as The Family Channel in the early 1990s and later simply as Channel 3, it was one of the very first exclusive channels of regulated cable television in Israel.
At first the channel's Program Schedule was mostly made of Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s, some American shows from the past (Soap
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
, All in the family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
), Soap Opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s such as The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, and a few experimental original productions.
Within a few years, the channel became the Israeli home of many successful television shows from America and other countries, adding the tag line "The best shows in the world". However, in 2002 the channel lost this privilege due to a financial dispute with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and could not continue to air content distributed by Warner. This resulted in Channel 3 losing shows such as Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
and The West Wing - all of which were purchased by other channels.
Since then the channel added more and more original content while continuing to air non-Warner purchased shows. The channel's name was changed to "Hot 3" in 2004, not long after the three Israeli cable companies united and became the "Hot
Hot (Israel)
HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. is a company that provides cable television, last-mile Internet access, broadband and telecommunication services in Israel. It also provides various data transmission services and network services at different rates, services to the business sector and other...
" company.
To date, the longest-running original show in the channel was "Good Evening with Guy Pines", a televised magazine hosted by Guy Pines, covering the world of entertainment both in Israel and the world. This show aired at least 4 times a week for 13 seasons between 1997–2010, and an earlier version was the Israeli "Entertainment Tonight", also hosted by Pines which aired from 1994 to 1996. Pines also covered events such as film festivals around the world before "Good Evening" started.
January of 2010 saw the launch of Hot 3 HD, a high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of Hot 3. Although a year earlier, in January of 2009 the channel already produced the first ever Israeli original drama to be shot in high definition - "Timrot Ashan" (Pillars of Smoke).
In October
October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the...
2011 the original SDTV channel was transferred to 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
broadcast, with accordance to most of its content, after more than 20 years of broadcasting in 4:3 aspect ratio.