Channel 12 Accused of Manipulating Ratings Data Amidst Declining Viewership

Channel 12's main news broadcast is facing accusations of manipulating viewership data to present a more favorable picture amidst consistently declining ratings. The broadcast reportedly achieved only a 9.9% rating, a figure the channel allegedly attempted to inflate by splitting the data into two separate categories: 'News' and 'News - Yonit Levi,' which were presented with different percentages (11% and 9% respectively).

This division is misleading, as the entire broadcast was presented as a single, continuous program, hosted by Yonit Levi for its entire duration of one hour and 17 minutes. The channel's website also listed the full broadcast as a single unit under the title 'The Main Edition.' This tactic was reportedly employed to mask the low overall rating, which is among the lowest the channel has recorded, especially in light of increased competition from Channel 14.

Further complicating the issue, Channel 12 allegedly sought and was denied permission by the Ratings Committee to deviate from standard procedures and split the data in this manner. Despite the committee's explicit refusal, the channel proceeded with presenting the split data, which is now being described as false and a misrepresentation of the actual viewership numbers.

Channel 12 and Yonit Levi's response to these allegations is pending.