Miri Michaeli Reaches a New High as i24NEWS Hebrew Edition Gains Ground

The ratings map of Israel’s main evening news broadcasts continues to shift, with Wednesday night’s figures showing a surprise from i24NEWS in Hebrew. The young channel’s flagship newscast, hosted by Miri Michaeli, posted a record 2% audience share and doubled its previous result.

Although the number may seem small at first glance, for a new channel it is a significant achievement. The current figure shows that the broadcast is succeeding in offering a real alternative, cutting into the viewing shares of the major channels during the prime 8 p.m. slot, and building a loyal, stable audience that continues to grow.

The strengthening of i24NEWS is directly affecting the division of the audience among the veteran channels. The new broadcast is now breathing down the neck of Kan 11’s “Evening News,” which posted 3.4% viewership last night, narrowing the gap to just one and a half percentage points.

At the same time, Keshet 12’s news company continues to maintain a clear lead at the top of the rankings, with News 12 delivering 12.2% viewership among households last night. News 14 is consolidating second place, and the stubborn fight for the runner-up spot, which is approaching double digits, has shown a consistent and stable picture in recent weeks. News 14 recorded a solid 6.3% audience share and continues to hold the title of Israel’s second-largest news broadcast by a wide margin over its competitors.

By contrast, the crisis at Reshet 13’s news company is also making itself felt on screen. News 13 settled for just 4.8% viewership last night, remaining behind the competing channel and showing a weakening trend amid the resurgence of the smaller channels in the rankings.