A week before Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is expected to lay out his plans for reforming Israel's media landscape, Israel Hayom has become privy to key tenets of his initiative.
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The crux of the proposed reforms will include a massive downsizing of the public broadcasting body Kann's news division (known as Kann 11 News), against the backdrop of ongoing protests against his wish to do away with state-funded outlets entirely.
The plan may still be tweaked before it is officially unveiled in a press conference on Tuesday, but it will most likely not include a total shuttering of Kann. Instead, the minister will call for major budgetary cuts that would see many units close. As noted, the news division will be dramatically affected, primarily in its television and radio platforms. Other parts of Kann will be privatized under the plan.
The proposals will also call for loosening regulation on the commercial outlets in Israel – Channels 12, 13, 14 – which currently must run under the auspices of a special government agency. This could also include ending the regulatory restrictions that have kept their news divisions operating independently of the other components in those stations, which could potentially bolster the degree to which owners can control the content of their news.
Another aspect of the plan will also do the same for the channels that run under Israel's cable and satellite companies – Hot and Yes. This means that they could eventually, for the first time, start broadcasting paid ads content on screen, and potentially reduce the price for consumers.
A key provision in the plan would also mandate that streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ would have to invest resources in original Israeli content, as a means of boosting the local industry. Israeli streaming providers will have to do the same if their revenues reach a certain threshold.
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