Yes TV in Israel: Everything You Wanted to Know

Yes TV is the only direct broadcast satellite television provider in Israel. It offers subscribers customized packages of channels and services, including English-language channels and major English-language news channels like Fox, CNN, and SKY NEWS. The Yes TV Israel channel list for Anglos includes Discovery Science, various CBS channels, MTV, and Animal Planet.  

Yes TV has over half a million subscribers in Israel, and Yes Israel TV shows in English are popular with Israelis of all backgrounds. Subscribers can cherry-pick the channels they want from the Yes TV Israel channel list that includes more than 200 stations worldwide. If you want to improve your Hebrew, Yes TV Israel also offers exclusively Israeli channels. 

Yes TV Israel English services include Disney+ and Netflix, plus a VOD catalog of films and dramas, including Yes Israel productions. The company has had some embarrassing technical issues, but the Amos -3 and Amos-7 satellites are currently delivering a reliable service. 

Yes TV in Israel 

Yes TV in Israel English language programming is pretty good. That’s not surprising, given the massive output of content from the US, UK, and other English-speaking countries. There’s a global market for English-language movies, soaps, comedies, sports, and documentaries. Israelis are major consumers of American TV - to the point where many Israeli kids learn more English from their TV than from their school teachers.

Many Olim in Israel finds that TV takes on greater importance after they make Aliyah. Anglos in Israel don’t necessarily watch more TV, but they appreciate having a choice of quality news services in English. If you make Aliyah with young kids or teenagers, their adjustment can be easier if they can switch on the TV and go straight back to their favorite shows.

Yes Israel TV shows in English are usually available upon release or a short time after release. The days of waiting a year for Israeli terrestrial TV to broadcast a top US or British TV show are long gone. Yes Israel has international reach and major purchasing power. The massive success of Israeli drama series like Fauda in foreign countries has also greatly opened up two-way trade in quality content. 

Major companies like Disney and Netflix are keen to attract Israeli viewers. Yes Israel offers both Disney+ and Netflix to subscribers. They also have a service called STINGTV that offers customized TV packages and an inclusive family package at a discount. Yes tv Israel subscribers who buy either a STINGTV BOX converter or an android tv converter can download YouTube, Netflix, DailyMotion, and a range of other content. 

Yes TV Guide: News Channels

The Middle East is a volatile neighborhood. It’s often joked that Olim will either become news junkies or completely refuse to watch the news. Israelis - like Americans - can be quite partisan when it comes to a choice of a news channel. If you want a variety of perspectives and analyses, the current Yes TV guide contains a choice of 24-hour news broadcasters. 

If you do want Hebrew news (or Israeli news with some English language broadcasts), you can try ערוץ הכנסת or מכאן 33. 

Yes TV Guide: Sports Channels

One thing Israelis have in common with many Olim is a passion for sports. It’s one of the easiest ways to initiate a conversation, especially for men. Usually, the first thing that Israeli colleagues or new acquaintances will ask is where you are from. The second thing is which team you support. The Yes TV Guide currently lists four major sports channels, three of which are in HD.

If you are a sports fan, nothing beats putting your feet up, reaching for a cold drink and some snacks, and watching the big game in HD. If you have Israeli in-laws or family friends, it’s the easiest way to bond!

Yes TV Guide: Children’s Channels

If your kids already speak Hebrew, they’ll be spoiled for choice with a selection of 7 kids' channels. If they’re very young, they’ll be more focused on the images and even learn Hebrew from the TV. If your kids don’t speak Hebrew, they’ll have a problem with the Yes TV Israel channel list. If that’s the case, you might be tempted to add Disney+ to your Yes subscription. Yes Israel TV shows in English for kids are few and far between.

Parents who suggest that their kids cut back on TV viewing are likely to face a mutiny, particularly if their kids struggle to adjust to a Hebrew language environment in school. These are your options with Yes TV Israel: 

We recommend checking out some documentary channels, like Animal Planet. Some kids love the shows. 

Yes TV: Movies, Drama Series and Action

The cinema experience in Israel isn’t great. Not only is a trip to the cinema prohibitively expensive for many families (easily a couple of hundred shekels for movie tickets, popcorn, and a drink), but the viewing experience can suck. The movie theater is one place where the culture clash between Olim and Israelis can be suddenly polarized. 

It depends on what type of movie you watch, but issues can include cell phones going off, audience members talking or moving around, and rowdy kids who delight in annoying people around them. Home cinema is a popular option for Anglos in Israel. It’s much easier to order a pizza and then sit back and enjoy a movie at home. No driving, no scouting around for parking spaces, and no inconsiderate people who’ll spoil your viewing experience.

If you sign up for a yes TV package, you’ll have a good choice of movie, drama, and action channels.

 If you don’t mind subtitles, European channels like Arte also broadcast some excellent films and dramas. 

Yes TV: Documentary and Educational Channels

Yes has a reasonable selection of documentary and educational channels. If you’re looking for more intellectually stimulating viewing, or you’re hoping that your kids will take an interest in something educational, it’s worth checking out Yes Israel TV shows in English from their documentary section. 

Yes Internet Israel 

There’s a lot of confusion about Yes Internet Israel. Yes Israel does not offer an internet service like Bezeq or Partner. It does have a streaming service called Yes+ LIVE. Yes tv Israel online is available to subscribers across the country and is one of the world’s most technologically advanced internet TV services. 

Yes Internet Israel uses a special technique to break data into tiny fragments for real-time transmission. The company claims this eliminates glitches and delays - important if you live-stream the big game. Yes+ LIVE is an additional subscription service, and although yes TV is promoting it aggressively, they may have overestimated the current demand for the service. There are currently plenty of options for viewers who want live coverage of events. 

Does Yes TV have English Customer Service?

It’s possible to connect to English-speaking reps when you contact Yes TV. Still, the quality of their English varies, and you may face a long wait listening to irritating piped music and inane recorded messages. The attitudes and competence of the call center staff also vary. Occasionally, the reps are superb. The best call center workers have a friendly and helpful attitude and are good at their jobs. 

Dealing with Israeli customer service and call centers is often a problem for Olim. If your Hebrew is good enough for a basic face-to-face conversation at work or in a store, it may not be up to a phone conversation with an impatient call center worker. The sound quality won’t be great, you won’t understand many technical terms and jargon, and the rep will probably speak too fast. 

Communication difficulties aside, Israeli call centers are notorious for imposing long waits on callers and then bouncing them around the system. You can waste a lot of time and drive your stress levels through the roof trying to take care of basic admin like arranging an upgrade, moving an apartment, or dealing with a technical problem.

The worst Yes TV customer service reps are abrasive, unhelpful, and have minimal knowledge of their systems and services. It’s not uncommon to be summarily transferred to another rep and face another wait in the call center system. When you’re finally connected, you’ll have to start at the beginning and explain your requirements again. 

Israeli customer service often contains sales teams or works hand in hand with the sales department. They can be aggressive and persistent when calling up and pushing upgrades or new services. One of the problems with Yes TV is the huge range of services on offer. It can confuse customers, and you can easily be bamboozled into subscribing to services you don’t need. 

Is Yes TV a Good Service for Olim?

Yes TV can deliver if you want access to a customized package of well-known major TV channels. The Israel YES TV Guide in English is packed with movies, dramas, comedies, sports, and documentaries. You can also get the latest content from Netflix and Disney+. If you want more than just a basic package, Yes TV can quickly get complicated. 

Many Olim are confused by the differences between Yes TV, Yes TV+ LIVE, STINGTV, Yes internet Israel, and VOD. You also need to buy special equipment to use some services, e.g., a STING TV box or an AndroidTV box. Knowing what to buy and arranging installation is an extra headache - and your expenses can quickly mount up. Kids and teenagers can place a lot of pressure on parents to get all the latest kits and subscribe to every possible service.

Olim and Anglos in Israel don’t rate Yes TV customer service highly. They also have mixed feelings about the quality of the technical backup and installation procedures. The wide variety of equipment and services can generate a lot of technical issues. Even basics like adapting and using your TV remote can be ridden with glitches. If you’re using YES+ LIVE and experience technical problems, you’ll have to contact Bezeq customer service (Bezeq handles the internet for Yes+ LIVE). 

Get Yes TV Via Your TCS Account

If you’re a TCS customer, you can get Yes TV through TCS as a stand-alone service or as part of your wider telecom bundle. There are several advantages to letting TCS handle the admin:

Yes TV in Israel: Key Points for Anglos