Channel 10 (Israel)

Channel 10 formed part of Israel’s broadcast television sector alongside commercial Channel 2 and the public Israel Broadcasting Authority.[5] It operated a news division and produced original drama, current-affairs, and entertainment programming, becoming known for aggressive investigative reporting.[2] Its commercial position was more precarious: repeated losses, debt obligations, and licensing deadlines threatened its continued operation.[2][6]

The channel competed in a television market in which audiences and advertising revenue were divided among multiple services.[3] After Channel 2 split into separate Keshet and Reshet services in November 2017, Channel 10 moved to channel 14.[7] Its eventual merger with Reshet preserved its news operation within a combined broadcaster rather than maintaining Channel 10 as an independent network.[4]

A March 2000 amendment to the Second Authority Law provided for an additional commercial television channel with two franchisees.[1] Channel 10 began broadcasting in January 2002 with Israel 10, while the second winning consortium, Eden Broadcasting, was delayed in preparing its broadcasts.[1][8] The regulator approved a merger of the two groups on July 1, 2002, subject to conditions; from August 21, a single franchisee operated the channel and funded its news company.[1]

The original tender required high-quality programming that included investigative reporting, culture, documentaries, and drama.[9] Both winning groups pledged at least 56 hours of such programming: Eden committed to 76 hours with an emphasis on documentaries, while Israel 10 committed to 110 hours emphasizing drama.[9]

A Jerusalem Post commentary traces the channel’s creation to the Peled Commission’s recommendations for an “open skies” approach to broadcasting, with an additional terrestrial channel as an interim measure.[10] The commentary states that Channel 10 could broadcast seven days a week, unlike Channel 2, whose schedule was divided among Keshet, Reshet, and Telad.[10] It also describes Channel 10’s initial restriction to cable distribution and the introduction of terrestrial digital distribution through Idan Plus in 2008.[10] Limited access through standard airwaves hindered the channel’s efforts to gain market share.[2]

The channel struggled almost immediately and went off the air after about a month to reorganize.[11] During the second half of 2002, owner Yossi Maiman appointed Mudi Friedman to rebuild it; Friedman recruited talent from Channel 2 and replaced outsourced news production with the subsidiary News 10.[11] Substantial expenses and revenues below expectations contributed to receivership proceedings in April 2003.[1][11]

Channel 10 emerged from receivership on March 14, 2004, following a creditors’ arrangement and the entry of investors Ron Lauder and Shlomo Ben-Zvi.[1] Legislative changes reduced its investment and content obligations, including removing obligations for its first two broadcasting years.[1] Its subsequent return to competition included acquiring reality programming, particularly “Survivor,” which achieved record viewing figures.[11]

In July 2009, Joseph Maiman said that partners Arnon Milchan, Ron Lauder, and Rupert Murdoch had told him they would stop injecting money into Channel 10.[12] He stated that the owners had spent NIS 1.3 billion during eight years at the station, largely on creative operations, productions, and studios, and that he would not continue financing it alone.[12] By 2011, accumulated losses exceeded $340 million, and the channel sought a one-year extension on an $11 million royalty bill, a request rejected by the Finance Committee.[2]

A December 2012 agreement between the owners and the government provided a NIS 65 million state loan to help pay debts, principally royalties and licensing fees.[6] It also exempted the station from franchise fees and royalties for the following year and extended its license for two years.[6] Half the loan depended on main shareholder Ron Lauder pledging bank securities, with the remainder secured by financial collateral.[6] Earlier that year, in August, the channel had dismissed 150 employees, approximately one-third of its workforce.[6]

Another deadline approached at the end of 2014, when the operating license was due to expire and the Second Authority was preparing to foreclose guarantees.[8] The channel had approximately NIS 60 million in debts to the state.[8] Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein instructed the government to advance legislation for a temporary extension, and the channel was allowed to continue under the conditions that would have applied had its license been extended.[13] The Second Authority said financial obligations remained unmet and a substantial shareholding was held in trust rather than by investors.[13]

In June 2015, the Second Authority approved a 15-year broadcasting license, making Channel 10 the first Israeli commercial channel to receive one.[14] Approval was subject to completing ownership information connected with RGE’s takeover.[14] Changes made following a public hearing removed the requirement for advance approval of broadcast schedules and added an obligation to ensure appropriate employment conditions in production.[14] RGE completed its acquisition of control in July 2015, holding 51% of the shares.[15]

Channel 10’s original drama included “The Naked Truth,” a police series created by Uri and Benny Barbash and set entirely in an interrogation room and a police precinct.[16] HBO acquired the show in 2010 and planned to develop a pilot for the 2011 fall season.[16] Reality programming, particularly “Survivor,” formed another part of the channel’s competitive strategy before a later shift toward a leaner schedule and lower costs.[11]

News and current-affairs broadcasts included interviews with researchers and specialists.[17][18] Dr. Boaz Ganor appeared on the morning news show on May 2, 2011, to discuss Osama bin Laden’s death.[17] Researchers from the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research were interviewed by Channel 10 in both 2016 and 2017; the institute recorded 48 broadcast interviews across all outlets in 2016 and 28 in 2017, without identifying Channel 10’s individual contribution.[18][19] In April 2016, the channel also aired reports about the boycott movement in the United States, featuring Vince Warren discussing connections he drew between Black resistance and Palestinian experiences.[20]

The channel’s online presence operated through Nana10, in which it held a 50% stake.[21] Rather than maintaining an independent home page, Channel 10 occupied an internal page within that portal.[21]

On the evening of November 29, 2016, newscasts on Channels 2 and 10 were temporarily disrupted on broadcasts streamed from an open satellite link; subscribers to YES satellite television were unaffected.[22] The broadcasting authority characterized the incident as a hostile takeover of the broadcast satellite and an act of sabotage, and an investigation involved law enforcement and the defense establishment.[22]

Following Channel 2’s November 2017 split, Channel 10 averaged 19.7% of viewers during the 8–11 p.m. prime-time period, compared with 37.7% for Reshet and 42.6% for Keshet.[23] Both Reshet and Channel 10 experienced losses, and the companies described Israel’s relatively small viewing market as unable to sustain three commercial channels.[7]

Reshet and Channel 10 signed a merger agreement in June 2018.[24] The proposed arrangement initially placed Reshet in control and transferred Channel 10’s news department to the merged company.[24] More than 100 employees were expected to lose their jobs, while popular programs from both networks were expected to remain and some lower-performing programs could be dropped.[24]

The Antitrust Authority approved the merger subject to Reshet selling its stake in the Israeli News Company, which it jointly owned with Keshet.[25] Applying the failing-firm doctrine, the regulator concluded that Channel 10 was extremely likely to leave the market without a merger.[26] Its assessment cited the channel’s financial difficulties, increased broadcasting hours after Channel 2’s split without a comparable rise in advertising revenue, and the expense of independently operating a news company while Keshet and Reshet shared theirs.[26] The sale condition was intended to preserve two major independent television news companies.[25][26]

In October 2018, Reshet announced that it was calling off the agreement, blaming regulatory delays and the resulting uncertainty for future productions.[27] The merger nevertheless proceeded and the combined operation began broadcasting on January 16, 2019, on channel 13.[4] In the final ownership arrangement, RGE-related shareholders held 68% and former Reshet shareholders held 32%, with Nadav Topolski as chairman and Yossi Warshavsky as CEO.[4]

The Channel 10 brand ended, and News 10 became News 13.[4] The news team continued broadcasting, but the long-running “London and Kirschenbaum” program did not continue.[27] In a later interview, Topolski described the transaction as combining Channel 10, Channel 10 News, and Channel 13, with signing and broadcasting occurring on the same day rather than after months of preparation.[28]

Channel 10 provided a separate commercial television news operation whose survival became an explicit consideration in merger regulation.[25] The Antitrust Authority concluded that closure without a merger would leave one primary television news company, making the conditional merger preferable from a competition perspective.[25]

Its history also reflected the financial interdependence of Israeli media businesses: newspapers Yediot Aharonot and Ma’ariv were allowed to buy partial stakes in commercial television channels to protect against advertising losses.[3] Financial pressures on Ma’ariv and Channel 10 prompted government and Knesset debate over whether struggling media institutions should receive support or be allowed to fail.[3] Channel 10’s original productions and HBO’s acquisition of “The Naked Truth” also connected its programming to an international television market.[16]

Channel 10’s investigative journalism generated significant political and editorial disputes.[2][29] A Raviv Drucker report concerning Benjamin Netanyahu’s family travel expenses prompted a preliminary review by senior State Comptroller’s Office officials; Netanyahu denied the allegations and filed libel actions, including NIS 1 million suits against Channel 10 and Ma’ariv.[2][30] During the 2011 debt crisis, station executives and commentators alleged political efforts to silence criticism, while Netanyahu’s allies described the decision as financial and his office rejected as baseless an allegation linking debt relief to Drucker’s dismissal.[2]

An apology following a report about shareholder Sheldon Adelson prompted the resignations of news editor Reudor Benziman, “HaShavua” editor Ruthie Yovel, and presenter Guy Zohar.[29] Drucker and Second Authority director general Menashe Smira raised concerns about editorial independence.[29] During the December 2014 closure scare, the station briefly replaced regular broadcasts with Netanyahu’s photograph and a message announcing closure in three days; employees and supporters framed the crisis as a press-freedom issue.[31]

Arab representation was another criticism: Mossawa, as cited in the U.S. State Department’s 2016 report, said Channels Two and 10 spent less than 0.5% of their annual budgets on Arab programming and that Arabs made up only 2–3% of experts interviewed across Israeli media.[32]