With the outbreak of the war, Israelis glued themselves to the television screens, with the aim of getting as much information and details as possible about the security happenings. The ratings of the four major broadcast channels jumped sharply, but as time goes by, and more so in the last month, it gradually declines. Viewers are abandoning television and returning to focus on social networks and digital, thus clarifying the picture regarding current viewing preferences.
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No longer two strong commercial channels, and behind them a niche channel and a public channel, but one strong channel above all, Keshet 12, and two that are fighting for second place and tailing each other – Network 13 and Channel 14. Each of them has a different television concept and worldview, with distinct audiences .
It is true that data from the media and advertising control company Bakara, which examined the viewing habits of Israelis aged 18 and over, indicates that in the months of October-December 2023 there was an overlap of approximately 69% in viewing the commercial channels, 12, 13 and 14. But when looking at the unique coverage (viewers who haven’t seen other channels), it turns out that Bequest 12 is about 21%, Channel 14 – 5.6%, and Channel 13 – 4.3%.
“The big surprise regarding Channel 14 stems from the fact that it appeals to a very specific niche. From a political point of view, it is clear and sharp – there is a very clear ideological difference between it and Keshet Va Reshet,” says Dr. Amit Lavia-Dinor, dean of the Sami Ofer School of Communication at Reichman University.
“On the other hand, Channel 13 fails to find its uniqueness, the channel falters in relation to the other commercial channels. It seems that it is trying to compete with Channel 12, but fails to present a real strategy.
“The management there changes, and the company fails to produce real differentiation. This is not only in the news content, but also in the entertainment content. If it is clear to the public that Network 13 is less good than Meshet 12, there is no reason to watch it. And so it is pushed down, a trend that started even before the war.” .
Increase in polarization in Israel
Examining the ratings of the main news broadcasts on weekdays in January indicates that these are relatively similar figures ranging between 6% and 7%. That is, a close battle between two channels, even though one of them is apparently equipped with more significant assets and more experience.
In a conversation with Globes, Asa Shapira, head of the marketing and advertising track in the Department of Communication at Tel Aviv University, explains how the change took place. “At the beginning of the war, everyone was looking to converge – the right side on Channel 14, and the rest on Channel 12. In other words, Channel 13 is the main loser.”
These things are backed up by research that Shapira is a part of. This is a joint research team of the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, which through the Agam Institute examines weekly the changes in public attitudes following the October events. The internet survey was conducted among about 2,000 respondents, including the Arab society.
“We found that polarization in Israeli society has increased since the outbreak of the war,” says Shapira. “It’s not that the situation was healthy before this, due to the legal reform, but during the war, each of the political parties accused the other of being responsible for the default. People do not want to psychologically challenge their world view, they prefer information that confirms their view, and this affects their choice of media.”
The study sharpens the fact that the choice of where to consume the information is not necessarily influenced by the quality of the information broadcast. “We checked what the viewers think of the channels according to reliability, objectivity and professionalism. It can be seen that the viewers of Channel 14 consume information from it even though they know that it does not provide a good news picture of reality. Among the coalition voters, only 70% believe that it is reliable, 45% believe that it is objective ( the rest: politically biased), and 62% believe he is professional.
“It is a big risk that each of the groups in Israel wraps itself in sound boxes, because that way there is no room for a discussion in which our opinions will be mixed, in order to produce a deeper position regarding the political reality in Israel. The less we are exposed, the more and more extreme our positions will be.”
And what is happening in relation to Network 13? Among the viewers identified with the opposition, 85% believe it is a reliable channel, 66% believe it is objective, and 80% perceive it as professional. Among coalition voters, the picture is the opposite: 61% believe he is not trustworthy, 74% believe he is politically biased, and 44% think he is not professional enough.
They advertise, but barely
Although the gap in the rating is closing, in terms of advertising on the channels the gap is still present. According to data from Yifat Media Control, the scope of advertising on Network 13 was about NIS 38 million (list price) in November, NIS 43 million in December, and NIS 29 million in January (first three weeks).
On the other hand, the amount of advertising on Channel 14 was a little less than NIS 1 million in November, NIS 1.1 million in December, and only NIS 680,000 in January (the first three weeks). The explanation for this lies in the small number of advertisers and low advertising prices.
Channel 14 explains the gap by saying that the channel is a relatively new product with a complex growth curve, and mentions the overall decline in the advertising market since the outbreak of the war. However, according to an executive at the channel, “We are seeing a 300% increase in advertising, and we are approaching our natural share. This is a direct result of the ratings.
“It is true that Network 13 still receives a larger share, but we need to understand the trends and motives. In addition, the five largest media companies work according to annual agreements, and those for 2024 have not been signed yet. In the middle of the year we will know what is happening. If the situation is similar, it will be like A real market”.
New advertisers should soon join the channel. However, according to a source there, “We are no longer ready for them to raise a price that is lower than our share, and there were quite a few who wanted to. Our biggest enemy is that they throw crumbs at us and say ‘what do you want, we published on the 14th’. We don’t want that anymore In the short term it may be problematic for us, but in the long term, the market will get used to it.”
In the advertising industry, they say that the failure of Channel 14 in the scope of advertising is primarily due to “illogical” demands in relation to the amounts requested. The argument is that if instead of fighting with clients, the work would have been conducted in a more professional manner – the income from advertising would also increase.
build an alternative
Channel 13’s plan to change its status in the ratings map is based on a reduction of current affairs broadcasts and a return to an almost normal, situation-adjusted broadcast schedule. It started with the airing of the series “The 90s”, continued with “OtoOchel”, and next month the reality show “Peking Express” will also air with an investment of millions of shekels. “This is a format that is not recognized in Israel,” the channel says. “It may be a gamble, but we feel the program provides escapism in a volume that can be carried.”
However, the channel has not yet decided how to utilize the skills of the talent they recently signed, who transferred to them from Meshet 12, Eyal Berkovich.
“When there is another broadcast schedule, it gives the viewer an alternative,” adds Channel 13. “At the end of the day, these are programs we believe in, and the advertisers are already waiting for it. On the other hand, Channel 14 offers programs that are cheap to produce, which are based on panels in the studio.”
Let’s recall that last December, the CEO of Channel 13, Yoram Altman, left his position. Since then, the channel has been run through a limited headquarters that deals with the construction of positioning and strategy processes. Among other things, they deal with the question of what content the channel should broadcast and how to create the desired differentiation.
At the same time, searches are being conducted for a permanent CEO – who may want to lead other processes himself, on which he can be signed as a leader.
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