Keshet Broadcasting

Keshet Broadcasting or Keshet (Hebrew: קשת‎, lit. "Rainbow") is a media group and leading television program maker licensed in Israel. Keshet operates under the auspices of the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority (SBA). It is one of two operators that have run the main Israeli commercial television channel, Channel 2, since 1993, providing two to four days of broadcast a week. It shows original drama series, news, entertainment and lifestyle shows, and foreign programs.

Keshet is located in a high-tech facility in Ramat HaHayal, a neighborhood in north Tel Aviv and also runs the Israeli Music Channel (Channel 24) and the comedy outlet Bip [1], they're all integrated under news and entertainment portal mako.co.il.

Keshet's CEO is Avi Nir. He was recently quoted on a Wall Street Journal piece on several US-adapted Keshet shows such as "Ramzor" and "Homeland" [2]. Keshet's president is Olympic Committee member Alex Giladi.

Formation

When Israeli Channel 2 was formed in 1993 it had three operators: Keshet; Telad; and Reshet. In 2005 a committee formed by the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority selected two of the three operators to run the next phase of the then very profitable channel — one of only two channels allowed to run commercials. Keshet came first and was awarded four broadcasting days per week. The other two days were awarded to Reshet.

Notable productions

• Alifut Israel Bedaka (Hebrew for "Minute to Win It") - one minute tasks game show hosted by Ido Rozenblum, final prise 1 Million NIS.
• Moadon Layla (Hebrew for "Night Club") – panel discussion and stand-up show.
• Monit Hakesef (Hebrew for "Money Taxi") – the Israeli version of Cash cab, presented by Ido Rozenblum.
• Rishon Babidur (Hebrew for "No. 1 Entertainer") – one-man show starring Dudu Topaz.
• Big Brother – Keshet and Kuperman productions aired the Israeli version of Big Brother ten years after the show debuted on worldwide TV. The show became a phenomenon, topping the charts for 16 weeks in a row and averaging a 31% share of ratings. Keshet also aired a celebrity Big Brother VIP season.
• Polishuk - An Israeli version of The Thick Of It, first aired in 2009. Scripted and directed by the playwright Shmuel Hasfari, the show tells the story of a politically clueless man (Rubi Polishuck, played by Academy Award winner Sasson Gabai), who entered politics almost by accident, but becomes the minister of Social Services when a scandal in his party forces the resignation of the previous minister.
• Kidnapped – A drama about two kidnapped soldiers who are released from prison in Lebanon and have to find their way back into society and a normal life while accepting all the changes that have happened in the lives of their loved ones. Directed by Gidi Raff and sold to Fox. [3]
• Ramzor (Hebrew name for "Stoplight") – A comedy drama starring, and written by, Adir Miller and Asaf Sarig that deals with relationship issues from the point of view of three men, each in a different phase of relationship from single (green), to a steady relationship (yellow), to married (red). Each gives a different comedic interpretation of the terms of relationships between men and women.
• The Ex – A drama about a young lady who is told by a fortune teller that she must find true love by the end of the year or she will never get married, and that it will be with one of her ex-boyfriends. Keshet sold the copyrights to CBS in 2008 and they created an American version, The Ex List (starring Amanda Peet and Zach Braff).
• Eretz Nehederet – The #1 Israeli satire show, shown by Keshet for seven seasons. The show has great effect on politicians and on public discussions of politics, with headlines regarding it often appearing in the news section rather than the entertainment section. It often makes reference to social conflicts between different Israeli political groups.
• Uvda - The Israeli equivalent of 60 Minutes, giving audiences a much deeper and more through look behind closed doors than they had before. The show has caused the resignation of the Israeli Chief of Police, revealed illegal transactions between the military industry and foreign countries and, on several occasions, caused establishment of special government committees to investigate subjects it brought to the attention of the public. Keshet broadcast the show's sixteenth season in December 2009.

Key people

Keshet's most prominent figure is founding father and Olympic Committee member Alex Gilady. He is also one of Keshet's owners along with Haaim Saban, Mozi Vertahim, Gad Zeevi and Eyal Yona. Israeli Leumi Bank also has a stake in the company. Keshet's CEO is Avi Nir, its head of drama is Ran Telem and the head of the mako portal and Bip comedy channel is Yuval Natan. Other key company figures are strategic chief Muli Segev and TV directors and producers such as Yoram Zac, Assaf Harel and Elad Kuperman.

mako

mako is an Israeli news and entertainment portal owned and operated by Keshet, an Israeli television broadcaster. Mako's founder and CEO is Yuval Natan.

mako offers video on demand content of original Keshet prime-time TV shows, Channel 2's news division (live 8 o'clock news, weekend news and hourly briefings), Bip (Comedy Channel) and "24" (Israeli Music Channel). In addition it hosts user-created content in Haambatia (the hot-tub), and provides written content covering news, entertainment, sports, music, TV, food, comedy, "Home & Family", "Digital", "Spirit" and "Women and Men".

External links

• Keshet Media Group
• (Hebrew) Official Keshet website
• Businessman Yitzhak Teshuva buying Leumi's 20% stocks in Keshet from The Marker, Israel business daily
• Keshet and the Music channel merge, official Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority news release
• Keshet makes 76 Million NIS out of first Big Brother Season from Haaretz, Israeli daily news.