Partner Communications sets TV market entry for early 2017

• Israel's Partner Communications (NASDAQ:PTNR +0.5%) is heading into the TV service market early next year and taking steps accordingly.
• The move's in line with a broader telecom strategy it's pursuing, the company says. It had discussed plans to follow competitor Cellcom (CEL +2.5%) and get into TV back in February, when it cut ties to France's Orange and rebranded its services under its own name.
• Partner expects that Israeli government agencies will keep working to remove barriers in broadcasting. Cellcom launched a pay TV/VOD service in December 2014.