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Israel: Commissioner Gilo won’t get jump in TV news competition he hoped for

By  |  July 17, 2013

Israel’s Communications Minister Gilad Erdan backtracked on plans to allow two television companies to have their own news channels, scrapping a plan antitrust commissioner David Gilo believed would have jumpstarted competition in the television news media market. Cable company HOT and satellite company Yes pursued permits for the news channels under the Economic Arrangements Bill; Erdan will have the companies pursue those permits through an independent legislative process instead of granting them himself, however. It’s a blow to a market Gilo described as one of “concentration.” Gilo further stated that “the introduction of new players could improve this problematic situation” of a concentrated news television market. Reports say the government partially justified backtracking on the permit plays due to financial cutbacks within the media market.

Full Content: Haaretz

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