Now 14 (), colloquially referred to as Channel 14, is an Israeli right-wing and conservative commercial television channel and news site. The channel broadcasts news, political commentary, satire and talk shows, all of which are presented from a right-wing perspective. The controlling shareholder of the channel is Yitzchak Mirilashvili.Billionaire unjustly jailed in Putin’s Russia to represent Jewish ex-Soviet communities , JTA, 26 July 2017
History Background In 1997, the Ministry of Communications August 1997 the government approved the report of the Yossi Peled Committee, which was established to prepare a proposal for expanding and reorganizing the public television and radio broadcasting system. One of the proposed channels was a channel aimed at Israeli heritage, alongside other channels: the Amharic channel, the Arabic channel (which would become Hala TV in 2012), a music channel (Channel 24), a Russian channel (Channel 9) and a news channel, that never ended up being established. All of the channels were scheduled to be financed by commercial advertising.Aviva Karol, The government approved the Peled report for the gradual opening of the broadcast media industry on the Globes website, 11 August 1997 The hearings were published on 1 December 1998,Aviva Karol, The Ministry of Communications has published a tender for early screening for the establishment of dedicated channels on the Globes website, 1 December 1998 but the launch of the heritage channel had its launch process delayed several times. In 2000, the prime minister amended the licensing of the channel.Aviva Karol, The return of the dedicated channels on the Globes website, 31 July 2000
First bid In July 2005, the tender for the Heritage Channel was published. The Hirsch Media Group, owned by businessman Shlomo Ben-Zvi, was the only bidder and won the tender. In 2003, Ben-Zvi already established "Arutz HaKlat" (The Blue Channel), a paid heritage channel for digital cable TV subscribers and satellite subscribers. Since the channel was paid, and did not broadcast advertising, the move was possible according to the rules of the Ministry of Communications. Shortly before the broadcasts began, American businessman Ron Lauder purchased 24% of the channel's shares. The "Blue Channel" was closed on 31 March 2006, in accordance with the agreement between the channel and the cable and satellite companies, with the receipt of the license for the dedicated channel on Israel's heritage. After winning the tender, Thia Communications entered as a partner in half of the ownership, but a conflict broke out between the two partner companies, the channel was not established due to lack of economic viability and the group's winning of the center to operate the channel was canceled in December 2006.
Second bid In February 2008, the Cable and Satellite Council announced that it would once again publish a tender for a heritage channel. In March 2012, the second tender was published. According to the terms of the tender, the equity of the owners of the channel must be 24 million shekels, the winner himself will provide a bond of three million shekels to comply with the terms of the license, the channel's broadcasts will be financed from the sale of advertisements and sponsorships, as well as from the sale of programs and parts of programs, and the channel's broadcasts need to cover issues related to Israel's heritage, to the Jewish religion, to the history, culture and tradition of the Jewish people in the Diaspora and in the State of Israel. Yitzchak Mirilashvili was the only bidder in the tender, and he won it; in August 2013 he received the license to operate the channel.
Early years on channel 20 Before the establishment of the channel, the slot later used by Channel 20 was broadcast from studios that are used by the Israeli version of Big Brother, in Neve Ilan.
Channel 20 started broadcasting on 30 June 2014 under a trial period that lasted for several weeks. The channel was made available on Yes and HOT from the outset, with the possibility of launching it terrestrially on the Second Authority's Idan+ platform at the short-term. Ynet housed its live stream.Channel 20, announcement about reception and broadcast schedule, on the official Facebook page, 14 June 2014
Under the terms of the license, the channel was prohibited from broadcasting broadcasts unrelated to Israel's heritage, and the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting rejected its request to broadcast Hapoel Jerusalem basketball matches. In June 2015, the council imposed a fine on the channel for violating the terms of the license for broadcasting an election rally, and in August of that year another fine was imposed on it for broadcasting news flashes.Ofir Dor, For the second time in two months Channel 20 was fined for broadcasting news, Calcalist website, 25 August 2015
In December 2016, the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council approved channel 20 to broadcast news, up to an hour during prime-time hours and up to 30 minutes during the rest of the day.Yonatan Kitain, Now it's final: Channel 20 will be able to broadcast news, on the Globes website, 22 December 2016 The channel's license specifies its nature: "The channel's broadcasts will cover a wide range of topics, related to the heritage of Israel, the Jewish religion, the history, culture and tradition of the Jewish people in the Diaspora and in the State of Israel, taking into account the cultural and social existence of the Jewish public in all its components, currents and shades, in the State of Israel and in the Diaspora."Ran Booker, Channel 20 will operate the Knesset channel, on the Ynet website, 4 May 2017
On 4 May 2017, Channel 20 was chosen to be the operator of the Knesset channel for a decade.Ran Booker, Channel 20 will operate the Knesset channel, on the Ynet website, 4 May 2017 On 7 December, the Cable and Satellite Council rejected the channel's proposal due to flaws discovered in it.
In the Globes brand index for 2017, the channel was ranked third in the category of television channels, ahead of Kan 11 (fourth), Channel 24 (fifth) and Channel 9 (sixth) and behind Channel 10 and Channel 2 (tied for first).Three years after it went on the air - Channel 20 is ranked third in the "Globes" brand index in the TV channel category, Arutz Sheva website, 13 July 2017
In July 2017, the Cable and Satellite Council opened a violation procedure against the channel, following the broadcast of an interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the channel did not yet have full permission to broadcast news. On 19 December 2017, Channel 20 CEO Shachi Franz wrote to the Chairman of the Cable and Satellite Council that the channel's people are preparing to return the broadcast license and stop its broadcasts, claiming that the Cable Council is restricting the channel's feet and harming its ability to broadcast and that "every reasonable person understands that there is a deliberate and systematic trend".The Israel Hayom system, Channel 20 threatens to stop its broadcasts immediately, nrg website, 19 December 2017 The next day, the channel withdrew from the Israeli rating committee on the grounds that it violates its goal of having a reliable and objective measurement.Noa Price, after the threat of closure: Channel 20 also withdraws from the rating committee, Walla website, 20 December 2017
The channel's employees began to demonstrate by calling against its closure. On 26 December, the channel's management began handing out hearing letters to employees before dismissal.Alexander Katz, Channel 20 is escalating the fight: It will summon employees to a hearing before dismissal, on the Ace website, 26 December 2017
In August 2017, the Cable and Satellite Council fined the channel 100,000 NIS, due to its refusal to host representatives of Reform and Conservative Judaism in its programs.Aviv Gutter, Channel 20 fined NIS 100,000 for excluding reformers and conservatives, Calcalist website, 8 August 2017 The channel appealed this to the Jerusalem District Court, but its appeal was rejected.Itay Stern, Channel 20 fined 100,000 shekels for excluding reformers and conservatives, Haaretz website, 23 November 2018
Supervision from the Second Authority During January 2018, Minister of Communications Ayoob Kara led legislative discussions in the Knesset with the aim of saving the channel, which turned into discussions about the overall regulation of the broadcasting market in Israel. In February 2018, an amendment to the Law of the Second Television and Radio Authority was approved, an amendment also known as the "Channel 20 Law", but also applies to additional channels. The amendment allows holders of a dedicated cable and satellite channel license to receive a "dedicated small channel" license from the Second Authority. The holder of this license must broadcast at least 51 percent of his broadcasts programs in which the specified special purpose is fulfilled or alternatively he must spend at least 51 percent of his income on such broadcasts. A small channel is entitled to significant serial concessions compared to the holders of the usual licenses. Among other things, easing the obligation to invest in local production, and exemption from high-quality production, from a minimum investment in content, and from the obligation to broadcast in the Arabic language, as well as the possibility of broadcasting news without establishing a news company.Law of the Second Authority for Television and Radio (Amendment 44) 2018, SAH 2695 25 February 2018Ariel Whitman, passed in the Knesset plenum: the law to ease regulation on television, on the Israel Hayom website In March 2018, the channel received a dedicated small broadcast license and passed from the supervision of the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting to the supervision of the Second Authority.
In March 2018, a series of appointments were made at Channel 20, which included the appointment of Boaz Golan, founder and editor of the 0404 News site, to the position of chief news editor, and the appointment of Yoni Sagi to the position of managing the commercial department and the digital department,Alexander Katz, on the way to the Channel 20 edition: Boaz Golan will serve as chief news editor, on the Ice website, 11 March 2018 at that time the news division of Channel 20 was established. On 25 March 2018, the channel began broadcasting its news bulletins. Its main newscast, at 8:00 PM presented by Dana Somberg.The daily edition of "Channel 20 News" presented by Dana Somberg will be aired this Sunday at 20:00. Once a week it will be presented by Little Shemesh, on the Arutz Sheva website, 24 March 2018 However, voices of criticism of the measurement method were heard on the channel due to the lack of digital measurement.Alexander Katz, the celebrations about the rating, the criticism about the measurement and the retirement that did not take place, on the Ice website, 26 March 2018
In 2018–2019, the channel had a collaboration with the Galei Yisrael radio station, in which the channel produced hourly newscasts and broadcast during the morning and afternoon hours a live broadcast from its studios.Alexander Katz, news releases and broadcasts in the morning: Cooperation between Channel 20 and Gali Israel, on the Ice website, 16 October 2018
In July 2021, the channel began publishing a monthly printed magazine called "20 Magazine" (מגזין 20),ice system, Channel 20 publishes a printed monthly, on the Ice website, 8 July 2021 which was later renamed "Now 14 Magazine".
As Now 14