Election Night Ad Revenue Falls Short of Broadcasters' Investment

On election night, Israeli television channels invested tens of millions of shekels in large studios, on-location crews, augmented reality technology, and numerous talents. However, the advertising revenue generated from these broadcasts amounted to just over 9.5 million shekels, according to Yifat Advertising Control data. Channel 12 (Keshet) secured the largest share with 6.1 million shekels, including 3.5 million shekels during prime time and 1 million shekels for a "golden break" featuring three advertisers. Channel 13 (Reshet) earned approximately 1.5 million shekels, Channel 14 (formerly Channel 20) received about 850,000 shekels, and Channel 1 (Kan) garnered around 430,000 shekels. The remaining revenue was distributed among other channels, with the Russian-language Channel 9 ranking fifth.

Among the top advertisers, David Lubinsky Group, an automotive company, led with an investment of approximately 850,000 shekels, more than five times the amount spent by the tenth-largest advertiser. Food company Unilever was second, and another automotive player, Frisbee, ranked third with a campaign featuring the actress and her late father, Israel the actress. Other significant advertisers included Partner, the Central Elections Committee, Isracard, Sequoia, the Rishon LeZion Municipality, AIG, Osem, and Maccabi Health Services.

Despite the fragmented media landscape, with channels like Keshet 12, Reshet 13, Channel 14, Kan 11, i24NEWS, and Channel 16 competing for viewer attention, Channel 12's election polls broadcast achieved significant ratings. The 10 PM poll broadcasts, traditionally a television highlight, saw Channel 12 lead with 28.5% during the broadcast and 30.6% when the polls were revealed, conducted by Mano Geva. Channel 14 followed with 15.2% overall and 16.3% for its poll, conducted by Shlomo Filber. Channel 13 reported 7.1% and 8% for its poll, while Kan 11 garnered 6.5% and 7.7%. i24NEWS had the lowest ratings among those measured, with 2.1% and 1.5% respectively.

The combined rating for the four major channels reached 58.5%, an increase from 45.5% in the previous election in November 2022, when Keshet 12 also led with 23.4%. This indicates a potential return of viewers to broadcast news for election results, despite the general trend of declining viewership and the shift to social media. "Eretz Nehederet" on Keshet 12 was the top-rated entertainment program with 24%, followed by Channel 14's "HaPatriotim" with 11.3%, Kan 11's "Kupa Rashit" with 8.6%, and Reshet 13's "HaYisraelim" with 7.4% and "Monit HaKesef" with 5.2%.

In the semi-prime time news segment, Yoni Levi on Channel 12's early edition achieved a 13.4% rating. Magi Tabbibi on Channel 14 and Raviv Drucker on Channel 13 both recorded 7.2%, while Ayla Hasson on Kan 11 had 2.9%. Sharon Gal's broadcast on i24NEWS before its main evening news garnered 1.7%. Additionally, Selcom TV reported exceptionally high viewership during the poll broadcasts, with approximately 160,000 households tuning in, a 37% increase compared to a typical peak hour.