Anglophone television viewers in Israel suffered another blow this week, as the satellite network YES announced it was dropping Star World from its package, despite a flood of consumer protests.

The decision came just after its competitor, HOT, announced that it would cut BBC Prime, inflaming existing frustrations and leaving subscribers from both companies irate and unsure what to do next.

"We're trapped between two monopolies and they're dangling us around," says Rita Hirschowitz of Ra'anana, who is trying to circulate an online petition among other consumers. "After people heard about BBC Prime [being dropped from HOT] they ran to YES, but now they're stopping in their tracks because of Star World. I'm not in a hurry to switch because the trend seems to be that you can't rely on either side."

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Star World, a popular entertainment channel featuring shows like "American Idol" and "Desperate Housewives," as well as cult classics like "Star Trek" and "The Simpsons," will no longer be available on YES, as of January 15.

Star World officials in Hong Kong told Anglo File that they "tried every possible means" to renegotiate a contact with Yes, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

According to YES officials, subscribers who want to terminate their contracts prematurely will be forced to pay a penalty.

Customers, though, insist they weren't even given any advance notice. They began an ad-hoc consumer protest, flooding YES's customer service with e-mails, faxes and telephone complaints as soon as they become aware of the company's decision, but quickly discovered that the negotiations with Star World had already ended.

"They didn't give us any warning and by the time we began calling, it was too late to complain," said Rhodesia-born Lawrence Fisher, who says that he subscribed to YES specifically because of Star World. "We pay a lot of money, but we aren't getting quality broadcasts and people are angry."

The companies' announcements, which came within days of each other, mean that consumers will no longer be able to watch both BBC Prime and Star World. BBC Prime will be available only on YES, while Star World will be available only on HOT.

"It's six of one or half dozen of another, because both companies are bad," fumed Tzemach Bloomberg, of Hod Hasharon. "They don't know what service to clients is all about. They have a monopoly, so they can do what they want."

Like other frustrated consumers, Bloomberg says he is considering purchasing a private satellite dish so that he can bypass both companies and be able to watch the channels he likes. A former South African, he is still frustrated about the loss of Star Sports, which provided him with cricket and rugby coverage. A private dish, he believes, will help solve these woes.

Other furious customers predict that these recent decisions will only step up the amount of illegal downloading that takes place here. "People will realize that if they have an Internet connection, it doesn't cost them anything to bootleg," said Geoffrey Mendelson, who immigrated in 1996 from Philadelphia.

Mendelson, a YES subscriber who lives in Jerusalem, is also considering a private satellite dish and says that in the meantime, he will go over his YES bill "with a fine-tooth comb. I'll probably drop a lot of the extra packages so that I'm not paying for stuff I don't want."

Other customers have simply canceled their subscriptions - penalties or not. "A TV fan can survive without both HOT and Yes if he has Star World," says Gery Roif of Netanya, who recently switched to HOT. "This channel has everything a TV fan needs."

YES representatives said that they have not noticed a significant number of cancellations as a result of the move and insisted that Star World has "low ratings," a claim that has yet to be verified.

"The decision to remove Star World is final," said spokesperson Libi Zipser. "YES was unable to reach an agreement with the channel and so it will be removed on January 15."

"American Idol," which is broadcast on Star World, she said, will be available on YES 3, while other favorites like "Seinfeld" and "Desperate Housewives" will be shown on other Yes channels.

Zipser reiterated YES's commitment, however, to continue with BBC Prime. "It is a quality channel with subtitles and we are very satisfied with it."

Star World officials say they are "as disappointed as our viewers in Israel with YES's decision to discontinue Star World on its platform. We are committed to the Israeli market and it is our sincere hope that our viewers will be able to continue watching their favorite shows on Star World," Benson Chao, corporate affairs and communications manager for STAR said in a statement.

"While we are not in a position to disclose details on our negotiations with platform players, we would like to stress that we have tried every possible means and will continue to do so."

Officials from HOT, meanwhile, say that the cable company will continue to offer Star World as part of its basic package.