Channel 9 reports advertising airtime sales up 41%

Channel 9 is the designated Russian-language cable TV channel.

4 January 05 16:16, Yael Gaoni

Channel 9, Israel’s designated Russian-language television channel, has reported that its sales of advertising airtime rose 41% in 2004. One of the reasons for this substantial increase is that fact that the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting has forbidden ORT, a Russian channel broadcast in Israel, to include advertisements for Israel in its broadcasts.

The Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting instituted new rules in 2002. These rules banned, with certain qualifications, the inclusion of advertising on foreign channels broadcast by the cable and satellite television companies. Foreign channel RTVi petitioned the High Court of Justice against the regulation, demanding abolishment of the restriction on including advertisements for Israel on the channel. Channel 9 also petitioned the High Court of Justice in order to compel the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting to completely outlaw advertising for Israel on foreign channels

ORT is currently forbidden to broadcast advertising for Israel. On the other hand, the Council for Cable and Satellite Broadcasting has authorized RTVi to broadcast advertisements aimed at Israel amounting to 25% of its total advertising. RTVi broadcasts from the US, and most of its broadcasts are not specifically aimed at an Israeli audience.

Advertising airtime on Channel 9 rose from 2,169,571 seconds in 2003 to 2,979,192 seconds in 2004. Channel 9’s figures also show that Sano-Bruno Enterprises (TASE: SANO1;SANO5) and Procter & Gamble led the list of advertisers on the channel again in 2004, with Bezeq in third place.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on January 4, 2005