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    • Coalition passes preliminary vote on TV ratings bill – Israel News
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    Coalition passes preliminary vote on TV ratings bill – Israel News

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    Israel’s ruling coalition on Wednesday passed a preliminary vote on a bill to allow it Minister of Communications to determine the method of measuring the viewer rating of television channels in Israel.

    Viewership metrics collect data, including the number of viewers and the demographic makeup of television programs in Israel.

    Israel’s current metering system, which since 1995 has been run by the independent, non-profit Israeli Public Research Council (“Va’adat Hamidrug”), is based on a technology called a “people counter,” a device installed on television which can record the content viewed throughout the day.

    The device identifies which member of the household is watching at any given time via a special remote control. The sample of households in which the measuring device is installed, called the panel, includes approximately 700 families composed of 2,200 people, which represent the demographic structure of Israel. Viewer demographics are taken in advance and can be cross-referenced with device-monitored viewing data over time.

    Rating metrics serve several purposes. Primarily, they serve as a common mechanism for broadcasters and advertisers to determine the price of a minute of airtime on a given channel at a given time. They also allow private broadcasters and public broadcasters to determine the success of specific broadcasts.

    Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi presents his communications market reform to journalists in Jerusalem, July 17, 2023. (Credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

    The supporters of the bill, namely the Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi (Likud), argued that the “people-meter” mechanism is outdated because it does not effectively monitor today’s diversified viewing methods, which include streaming and Internet providers. The bill would allow the government to create a better and more reliable system for measuring ratings, supporters said.

    However, detractors of the bill, including members of the opposition, broadcasters and the attorney general’s office, argued that it could serve as a tool for the government to influence the ratings themselves and thus the advertising revenue of various shows. This, in turn, could serve as a financial penalty that the government can enforce against unfriendly content. Although many detractors agreed that the measurement system needed to be updated, they argued that this should be done without government intervention.

    The bill also requires television broadcasters to display the new ratings metrics in real-time during peak viewing hours. It also requires broadcasters to submit a monthly report detailing viewing data, including the number of viewers of the show per hour, the means of viewing the show and segmentation of the population by age, sector, gender and place of residence.

    The proposal is unconstitutional, says Levin

    In a letter to the Minister of Justice Yariv Levin on Sunday, before the bill was approved in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, Deputy Attorney General Meir Levin (Economic Law) wrote that the proposal was unconstitutional because it was “a serious and disproportionate violation of the right to privacy and, within it, the right to the freedom of expression and press, a violation arising from the involvement of the political government in the audiovisual market”.

    According to Levin, a primary concern was that while the “panel” of families currently participating in the measurement system do so voluntarily, the new bill would collect data on household viewing trends without their consent.

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    “The very act of compulsorily collecting information from the entire public, without the explicit consent of each person about whom information is collected, and their systematic transfer to government authorities – the broadcasting regulatory authorities and the Ministry of Communications – amounts to a serious violation of the constitutional provisions. the right to privacy,” Levin wrote.

    Rather than the current bill, which was formally proposed by Likud lawmaker Shalom Danino, Levin suggested that a new government bill be presented after consideration and amendment to address these constitutional concerns.



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