Haim Saban

Saban was born in 1944 in Alexandria, Egypt, into an Egyptian Jewish family.[2] His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father sold toys.[8] In 1956, the family immigrated to Israel, joining the movement of much of Egypt’s Jewish community to the country.[2] They settled in Hatzor HaGlilit, where their first home was a windowless, one-room dwelling.[8] Saban helped support the family by working as a messenger boy, beginning his working day at 6 a.m.[8]

His education included an aliyah boarding school, from which he was expelled for misbehavior, followed by night school.[2] A principal reportedly told him that he was “cut out for making money.”[2] He also attended agricultural school and later served in the Israel Defense Forces.[9][10] During his school years in Tel Aviv, he played bass guitar and aspired to become a rock musician.[11] He attended high school but did not pursue higher education.[12]

Music became the starting point of his working life: he played bass while serving in the Israel Defense Forces and then moved into music production, concert promotion, and tour promotion.[8][2] In 1966, he began performing as the bass player and manager of the Israeli rock band the Lions of Judah, known in Hebrew as Ha’arayot.[2] Saban is married to Cheryl Lynn, née Flor, Saban, and the couple have two children.[2]

In 1969, the Lions of Judah traveled to England, played in London nightclubs, and signed with Polydor Records.[2] The band appeared on the BBC program Color Me Pop that July and recorded the single “Our Love’s A Growing Thing.”[2] Financial difficulties prevented the single’s release in the United Kingdom, and after the group returned to Israel, Saban turned toward music promotion.[2] He established a tour-promotion business in Israel before developing a record business in France and eventually moving into Hollywood production.[1]

During the 1970s, Saban worked in France as a music producer and established a record company with Shuki Levy.[2] The company grew into a major European label, selling more than 18 million albums over eight years.[9] By the late 1980s, Saban had moved to Los Angeles and launched recording studios that became important suppliers of music for television.[9][10] His work there included composing music for children’s television as well as operating the studios.[2][9]

Saban and Levy composed soundtracks for their own children’s television properties, including Kidd Video and Maple Town, and for programs made by other production companies.[2] Their credits included Inspector Gadget, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, M.A.S.K., He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and She-Ra: Princess of Power.[2] For some music and lyrics credits, Saban used the pseudonym Kussa and later Kussa Mahchi, including on the theme song for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.[2]

In 1988, he founded Saban Entertainment as an international television production, distribution, and merchandising company.[9] The business became especially associated with Power Rangers, alongside other series such as Masked Rider, VR Troopers, and Big Bad Beetleborgs.[2] These productions adapted Japanese tokusatsu programs for Western audiences.[2]

Saban encountered the Japanese program that became Power Rangers while watching television in a hotel room during a business trip.[13] He acquired its rights and spent years pitching an American adaptation before Margaret Loesch at Fox agreed to buy the program.[13] The rights to broadcast the program outside Japan cost him $500,000.[14] Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted in 1993, and its television success and associated merchandise became major sources of his fortune.[13]

In the mid-1990s, Saban combined his business with Rupert Murdoch’s Fox children’s television operations, extending the global distribution of his programs.[12][9] The partnership acquired Fox Family Channel in 1997, and its programming, including Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, reached more than 81 million homes worldwide.[12] The acquisition and restructuring of the channel formed part of the development of Fox Family Worldwide.[9]

On July 23, 2001, Saban and News Corporation announced the sale of Fox Family Worldwide to the Walt Disney Company for $5.3 billion.[2] The transaction was completed on October 24, 2001, and the network was renamed ABC Family.[2] The sale reportedly yielded Saban about $1.7 billion in cash.[14] He subsequently established Saban Capital Group, a private-equity business specializing in media and entertainment.[15][9]

The investment business expanded into European broadcasting in August 2003, when Saban led a consortium that acquired a controlling stake in Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 from the Kirch Media Group.[2] In March 2007, the consortium sold its controlling interest to KKR and Permira for €22.40 per share, compared with its acquisition price of €7.50 per share in 2003.[2] In the United States, Saban Capital Group led an investor group that successfully bid for Univision Communications in 2006.[2] The transaction valued the Spanish-language media company at $13.7 billion, with Texas Pacific Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners among the other investors.[2]

Saban also invested in Israel’s broadcasting and telecommunications industries, purchasing 22 percent of Keshet, a Channel 2 franchisee, for $2 million.[12] In 2005, he led a group that acquired control of Bezeq for $972 million.[12] His partners in the controlling investment included Apax Partners and Mori Arkin.[4] They sold their controlling interest to Shaul Elovitch in 2008, and Saban earned billions of shekels from the acquisition and subsequent sale.[4]

In 2012, Saban agreed to acquire a 33 percent stake in Partner Communications, the Israeli mobile carrier then operating under the Orange brand.[4] The agreement called for him to pay $80 million and assume $300 million in debt that Scailex owed to Hutchison, while Scailex would retain a 15 percent interest in Partner.[4] By June 2015, he held a controlling stake in the company.[16]

That investment placed him at the center of a public dispute after Orange chief executive Stéphane Richard spoke about being ready to leave Israel.[16] Saban responded that he was proud to hold the controlling stake in an Israeli company that leased the Orange brand and declared, “Threats won’t deter me.”[16] He also pledged to continue working on Israel’s behalf and supporting it internationally.[16]

By 2019, Saban’s company held 30.38 percent of Partner and had issued notice that it could not repay debt due in January 2020.[17] The shares securing the $300 million debt were then valued at NIS 737 million, and Hutchison could seek control through a court-appointed receiver.[17] Saban had made further investments in Partner and was about NIS 500 million down on the investment.[17] He said his group had borne the loss without involving Israeli financial institutions or the Israeli public.[17]

His investment activity also extended to Israeli technology companies through Saban Ventures, established in 2016 with a stated $100 million for startup investments.[5] Managed by Barak Pridor, the fund was to focus on mobile technology, social networks, e-commerce, and digital media where investments could complement Saban’s existing businesses.[5] Its remit also left room for areas such as cloud computing and financial technology.[5] Earlier investments included $15 million in PlayBuzz and an investment in Everysight, which was developing smart glasses for cyclists.[5]

In 2018, Saban sold the Power Rangers franchise and several other brands to Hasbro in a $522 million cash-and-stock transaction.[18] The additional properties included My Pet Monster, Popples, Julius Jr., Luna Petunia, and Treehouse Detectives.[18] At the time, Power Rangers was in its 25th season, had produced nearly 900 episodes, and aired in 150 markets in numerous languages.[18] Saban expressed confidence in its prospects, saying, “Twenty-five years after launching Power Rangers, I believe the future for this brand has never been greater.”[18]

Saban dated his involvement in American politics to the mid-1990s, explaining that he believed support for Israel in the United States was weakening.[2] Although primarily a Democratic donor, he also contributed to Republican politicians, including George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign.[2] In 2004, he summarized his personal priority by declaring, “I am a man with one interest, and that interest is Israel.”[19]

During the 2000 presidential election, Haim and Cheryl Saban’s combined contributions totaled $1,250,500.[2] His donations to the Democratic National Committee during the 2001–2002 cycle exceeded $10 million, the largest single-source donation the committee had received up to that point.[2] Through mid-September 2004, the couple had contributed $164,000, mostly to Democratic candidates and Democratic-affiliated organizations.[20] That total included $27,000 to John Kerry and $4,000 to the Bush campaign.[20]

Saban supported Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and co-hosted a fundraiser with Steven Spielberg that raised more than $850,000.[2] In May 2015, he remained committed to Clinton’s next presidential bid and had pledged to contribute “as much as needed.”[21] Between June 2015 and June 2016, he and Cheryl donated $7 million to Priorities USA.[2] His support for Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign was also reported as totaling $15 million.[18] He publicly criticized Donald Trump as “a danger to America.”[2]

The Sabans contributed between $5 million and $10 million to the William J. Clinton Foundation.[2] Their political activity also included efforts to strengthen support for Israel within the Democratic Party.[8] In 2002, Saban said he was involved in a campaign to obtain the signatures of 45 American governors on a declaration supporting Israel for submission to the White House.[22] He explained that governors could exert considerable influence, particularly during an election year.[22]

Policy institutions became another substantial part of his public activity when he provided an initial $13 million grant in 2002, together with a pledge of additional funding, to establish the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.[2] The center was intended to supply American government policymakers with information and analysis on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.[2] Saban recruited former American ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk as its director.[2] He also founded the Saban Institute for the Study of the American Political System at Tel Aviv University.[9]

Jordan’s King Abdullah II attended the dedication of the Brookings center in 2002.[22] Saban said the king had expressed interest in Israeli-developed educational software, especially mathematics programs, if it could be translated into Arabic.[22] He offered to mediate between Israeli and Jordanian software companies.[22]

Saban conceived the Saban Forum as a venue for examining U.S.–Israel relations, assessing common threats, and advancing cooperation in counterterrorism, democracy, peace, and security.[3] The Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies and the Saban Center at Brookings inaugurated the annual dialogue in December 2004.[3] Its first gathering, entitled “Defending Democracy in an Age of Terror,” took place on December 3–4 at the Evermay Estate in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.[3]

The inaugural meeting brought together 55 invited participants from Israel and the United States.[3] Its agenda covered bilateral relations, nuclear proliferation, counterterrorism, and the balance between civil rights and security.[3] Former President Bill Clinton spent almost two hours with the group, and Saban chaired the final session of the first day.[3] The annual forum subsequently brought together American and Israeli political, economic, and media leaders to discuss the bilateral relationship.[8]

At the 2012 forum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joked, “I think I now know what it feels like to be one of Haim’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” and called him a friend, colleague, mentor, and inspiration.[23] In December 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry marked the event’s tenth anniversary and praised Haim and Cheryl Saban for their work strengthening U.S.–Israel ties.[11] At the 2016 meeting, Saban helped unveil a plaque honoring Kerry and joked, “Who paid for this? Brookings or me?” before reading an inscription crediting the Sabans and Brookings.[24]

Saban sponsors AIPAC’s Saban National Political Leadership Training Seminar, a semiannual Washington program giving college students three days of pro-Israel advocacy training.[2] In 2021, he co-founded the Abraham Accords Institute for Peace.[2] Its intended work included increasing trade and tourism between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, while fostering connections among people in those countries.[25]

Saban received the 2,605th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2017, honoring his achievements in television and his work producing Power Rangers.[15][14] The ceremony took place outside the historic Egyptian Theatre, with David Foster and Simon Cowell among the speakers.[14] Reflecting on a career that began with bass guitar in an Israeli covers band and developed into partnerships with media businesses, investment companies, and governments, Saban said he had been “extremely lucky.”[15] By 2018, Power Rangers had become one of television’s longest-running live-action children’s series.[18]

Haim and Cheryl Saban established the Saban Family Foundation in 1999 to support medical, children’s, and educational programs.[6] Its beneficiaries have included Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Soroka Children’s Hospital in Israel, and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.[6] Other organizations supported by Saban include the Israel Cancer Research Fund, the John Wayne Cancer Institute, and Milken Community High School.[9] He donated $15 million toward establishing a children’s and maternity center at Soroka Medical Center.[14]

The Sabans donated $50 million to the planned film museum of the Motion Picture Academy, leading the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to name its main building the Saban Building.[26] Saban initially declined a request to contribute because the couple’s established priorities included sick children, education, and battered women, rather than museums.[26] They reconsidered after learning more about the project’s educational purpose and potential as a tourist attraction.[26]

Support for Israeli soldiers has been another major focus of the couple’s philanthropy, including donating and raising millions of dollars for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.[8] They chaired its annual Hollywood gala for more than a decade, and the 2017 event raised $53.8 million.[8] Saban had already chaired the annual Los Angeles gala for five consecutive years by 2011; the preceding year’s event raised $8.8 million.[7] The organization’s programs address educational, social, cultural, and recreational needs of soldiers, their families, and families of fallen soldiers.[7]

In 2017, the couple funded a 25,000-square-foot Druze Soldiers Heritage Center in the Galilee.[8] The center was intended to provide recreation for active-duty soldiers, a place for discharged soldiers, and a memorial recognizing Druze contributions and fallen service members.[8] The Sabans also supported Yad Vashem’s seminars for IDF personnel, held at the Mount of Remembrance and at military bases and training centers.[6]

Saban’s public service included appointment by California Governor Gray Davis to the University of California Board of Regents in 2002.[9] He resigned in 2004 following public criticism of his attendance at meetings.[9] His educational and policy philanthropy also included founding institutions at Brookings and Tel Aviv University, alongside donations to Israeli nonprofits and support for pro-Israel political activity.[1][9]

In 2011, approximately $17.9 million in fees was to be returned to Saban following a criminal case involving a tax-shelter scheme in which he had been a client.[27] The Saban family announced plans to donate the recovered money to the Saban Foundation for charitable groups including Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Saban Free Clinic, Operation Homefront, and Para Los Niños.[27] The case concerned capital gains exceeding $1 billion in 2001; Saban had not been informed of the fee arrangement or the scheme’s illegal nature, and the criminal convictions and sentences applied to the lawyer and other investment-firm figures involved.[27]

In 1998, ten composers threatened to sue over music credited to Saban, and the dispute was settled out of court.[2] His controlling investment in Partner also became embroiled in the 2015 controversy over Orange’s relationship with Israel, prompting his public rejection of pressure to withdraw and his declaration that he would continue supporting Israel internationally.[16]

Saban’s political giving has featured in discussion of the partisan distribution of pro-Israel campaign contributions.[21] In 2015, his continuing commitment to Hillary Clinton appeared alongside reports that some other pro-Israel contributions were shifting from Democrats to Republicans, raising concern about the implications for bipartisan support for Israel.[21]