Programs Broadcast by Channel 2 (Israel)

Commercial Channel 2 began broadcasting in 1993. It was Israel's first commercial television network and was operated by three franchisees, each assigned rotating weekly slots.[1][5] The channel was privately owned and supervised by the Second Television and Radio Authority.[1] By 1994, after Channel 2's launch, the existing state broadcaster was known as Channel 1.[8]

The channel's founding programming philosophy was deliberate: planners opted for talk shows rooted in current affairs rather than imported dramatic serials, judging that Israeli audiences were primarily drawn to news-based content.[6] The franchisees jointly operated Israel's highest-rated television news program, although the cited account does not provide its title.[5] In the channel's later years, Keshet and Reshet shared the channel 22 broadcast slot before moving to separate channels in 2017.[4][3]

The precise sequence of Channel 2's first commercial broadcast on November 4, 1993, is disputed between two retrospective accounts. One Ynet retrospective identifies Kol Sheni veHamishi (כל שני וחמישי), hosted by Rafi Reshef, as the first original program, followed by an episode of HaHamishiya HaKamerit (החמישייה הקאמרית) and the documentary An Earring in the Penis (עגיל בזין).[2] A separate Ynet account gives a different sequence, describing a sports magazine hosted by Danny Rupp, followed by the quiz show Song of the Muscles (שיר השרירים), with the documentary airing at 22:30.[9] Both accounts agree that the documentary aired on opening night; the order of the earlier programs remains unresolved.

Among the channel's earliest programs, the experimental period before the commercial launch featured a varied slate documented in Ynet retrospectives. These included Klip Mi Yodea (קליפ מי יודע), a music-video program; Aruz LeAruz 2 (ערוץ לערוץ 2), a viewer-correspondence program; a travel program with Dori Ben-Ze'ev; a talk show with Dudu Dotan; Channel 2's Recipe Corner (פינת המתכונים של ערוץ 2), which ran for 250 episodes; Pop Voice (קול הפופ); the daily children's program Dudu Tells Gulo (דודו מספר לגולו); and titles including Shlomfi (שלומפי), The World Tonight (העולם הערב), The Morning in the Gulf (הבוקר במפרץ), The Name of the Game (שם המשחק), The Circle (המעגל), Nice Guy (נייס גיא), and Wise at Night (חכם בלילה).[10]

The sketch comedy The Comedy Store (הקומדי סטור), starring Tzvika Hadar, Assaf Eshtar, Itay Segev, Ruby Duanias, and Gil Sassover, was among the channel's early programs.[2] The Harzoofim (החרצופים), a satire show featuring caricature puppets of politicians and public figures, is identified as Channel 2's first satire program; it began in 1995 and ran for four years.[2]

A Ynet retrospective on Telad's years at Channel 2 identifies several programs by character. World Journey (מסע עולמי), Guv Night (לילה גוב), and Life Isn't Everything (החיים זה לא הכל) are described as agreeable programs. Ramat Aviv Gimmel (רמת אביב ג׳) and The Comedy Store are characterized as successful, with Ramat Aviv Gimmel running for five years. The investigative news magazine Uvda (עובדה, meaning "Fact") and the drama series Florentin (פלורנטין) are described as groundbreaking.[11]

Dan Shilon's Circle (המעגל של דן שילון) is identified as the channel's flagship program in 1994, bringing together guests from different walks of life — politicians, beauty queens, and singers.[11] An earlier Jewish Virtual Library account also references Dan Shilon's interview show as a Channel Two program, noting that entertainment slots featuring Israeli performers were inserted into it.[6] The First in Entertainment (הראשון בבידור), hosted by David Topaz, is also named as a Channel 2 program from this period.[11]

The drama series Florentin aired in 1997, with Ayelet Zurer playing the character Shira Steinberg.[12]

News programming was central to Channel 2's identity throughout its existence. The channel's franchisees jointly operated Israel's highest-rated television news program.[5] The central nightly news, First Edition, and Six with Oded Ben-Ami were initially carried by both successor channels after the 2017 split.[3] The Savings Program subsequently aired on Keshet 12, while Nightly News and Meet the Press aired on Reshet 13.[4][3]

In December 2012, facing severe financial difficulties — the channel's board demanded NIS 20 million in budget cuts — Channel 2 shortened the 8 p.m. news from an hour to 45 minutes and immediately canceled Six with Oded Ben Ami and Meet the Press.[13]

The investigative magazine Uvda ("Fact"), hosted by Ilana Dayan, was one of the channel's signature current-affairs programs.[2][14] It featured high-profile interviews, including a 2016 interview with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas that was described as aimed directly at the Israeli public.[15] An exposé broadcast on January 8, 2015, was also among the program's notable segments.[14]

Dana Weiss served as anchor and chief reporter of The Weekend News on Channel 2 News, and anchored the channel's prime-time Saturday night news program — described as the most-watched current-affairs magazine show.[16] She moderated Meet the Press from 2005 to 2013, featuring interviews with leaders and newsmakers from Israel and abroad, and co-directed prime-time investigative documentaries from 2005 to 2010.[16] She also co-hosted a late-night news show from 2006 to 2009 and hosted several other current-affairs programs and political round tables.[16]

Alongside news, Channel 2 developed a substantial entertainment slate. The drama Merḥak Negiah (מרחק נגיעה, A Touch Away), about a romance between a new immigrant and an ultra-Orthodox girl, achieved a 36.5% rating.[11] Big Brother (האח הגדול) became one of the channel's flagship reality programs, though Big Brother: VIP was canceled in late 2012 amid financial cutbacks.[13]

The talent competition Kochav Nolad (כוכב נולד, A Star Is Born), which began in 2003, helped launch the careers of Ninet Tayeb, Shiri Maimon, and Shai Gabso through a process of nationwide auditions, judging panels, and audience voting by SMS.[11] International formats that found homes on Channel 2 included The Amazing Race (המירוץ למיליון), The X Factor (אקס פקטור), Survivor (הישרדות), The Voice, MasterChef (מאסטר שף), and Dancing with the Stars.[7][4]

Other entertainment programs documented in retrospective coverage include Married at First Sight (חתונה ממבט ראשון), Iron Dome (כיפת ברזל, alternatively transliterated Kippat Barzel), Bake Off Israel, Cash Cab (מונית הכסף), Sabri Maranan (סברי מרנן), Game of Chefs (משחקי השף), and Kitchen Revolution (מהפכה במטבח).[7][4]

Eretz Nehederet (ארץ נהדרת, A Wonderful Country) was a prominent Channel 2 political satire program, built from sketches, mock newsroom segments, and impersonations of politicians and other public figures.[17] Its debut is placed in the winter of 2004 by a Ynet retrospective, and by 2005 Keshet reported that one million people watched the season premiere.[17][11] A 2015 report placed the show in its 12th season, with a 30% audience share in Israel.[18]

The program satirized a broad range of Israeli society, including the army, settlers, left-wing liberalism, and right-wing nepotism.[17] Its original Friday-night scheduling prompted objections from some observant viewers, and its treatment of settlers generated disagreements that were noted in contemporary press coverage.[17] After the 2017 split, Eretz Nehederet moved to Keshet's channel 12, where it opened the franchise's first evening of broadcasting.[3]

Not all Channel 2 programs found audiences. Friday Show (שישי שואו), a prime-time Friday entertainment program hosted by Tzvika Hadar, was pulled from air after only five episodes despite a contract for 45.[19] The Kamitsheli Family (משפחת קמיצ'לי), a Reshet show in 2004, was stopped midway through its season after achieving only 13% viewing.[19] The reality program Love Bay (מפרץ האהבה), a 2008 attempt to compete with Big Brother, failed to achieve significant ratings.[11] The Mole (החפרפרת) and Judge Margol (השופטת מרגול) are also named among the channel's short-lived entries.[19]

In December 2012, Keshet froze production of six television shows, including the political comedy Polishuk and three new dramas, as part of budget cuts driven by the channel's financial crisis.[13]

A law passed in 2011 required the shared Channel 2 operation to split by November 1, 2017, with the reform intended to increase competition in Israel's television market.[7] Channel 2's commercial transmission on channel 22 ended at midnight in the transition to that date.[3]

Keshet's programs moved to channel 12, carrying Eretz Nehederet, Married at First Sight, MasterChef, The Next Star (הכוכב הבא), Iron Dome, Sabri Maranan, Cash Cab, and Uvda, among others.[4][3] Reshet's programs moved to channel 13, including The Amazing Race, The X Factor, Big Brother, Survivor, The Voice, Game of Chefs, Kitchen Revolution, Nevsu (נבסו), The Institute (המדרשה), and Tomorrow, Saturday (מחר שבת).[4][3] Meet the Press also moved to Reshet 13.[4]