Channel 14 Continues to Benefit from Expired Regulatory Perks
Channel 14, owned by Yitzhak Mirilashvili, is still operating under four key regulatory provisions that officially expired in February 2026. These provisions, which granted the channel "small channel" status, included exemptions from license fees to the Second Authority for Television and Radio, freedom from establishing a separate news company, an exception to the 74% ownership limit allowing Mirilashvili to hold 100% of the shares, and permission for cross-ownership with Kol Chai radio.
Despite the expiration of these benefits, the channel has continued to enjoy them for approximately six months. In a related development on July 5, 2026, the Second Authority fined Channel 14 NIS 75,000 for refusing to submit its 2025 revenue data. The Marker estimated the channel's 2025 advertising revenue at around NIS 150 million, nearly double the NIS 80 million threshold for small channel status.
On the same day the fine was issued, the Ministry of Communications, led by Minister Shlomo Karhi, published regulations intended to retroactively legitimize the expired exemptions. Karhi's proposed communications law reform also significantly raises the "small channel" revenue threshold from NIS 80 million to NIS 2 billion, which would effectively classify all commercial channels as "small."
Simultaneously, the government has been involved in a struggle over the composition of the Second Authority's council. The Supreme Court had previously reinstated the previous council after blocking the appointment of a new member, Dr. Yifat Ben-Haim-Segav, due to her status as a witness in the Prime Minister's criminal trial. However, on July 5, the government announced it would not comply with the court's ruling, and some council members resigned under pressure from Karhi, effectively nullifying the court's decision.
In 2022, the Yesh Atid party petitioned to have Channel 14 declared an "active election body," which would impose stricter regulations. The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Yitzhak Amit, rejected the petition, acknowledging in principle that regulating a propaganda channel does not infringe on freedom of speech but stating that commercial media outlets were not intended to be subject to these specific limitations.
