The announcement came two days after multiple anti-trust regulators cleared<\/a> the acquisition of Wiz by Alphabet\u2019s Google for a staggering $32 billion, the largest-ever purchase of an Israeli-founded tech company.<\/p>\n \t Channel 13 has been fighting for survival for a number of years, with past claims that journalists were fired for voicing criticism of Netanyahu and the government.<\/p>\n Explainer: Channel 13\u2019s looming sale ignites fears of political meddling and regulatory evasion<\/a><\/p>\n Rappaport and other tech founders in the group have previously publicly criticized the government, particularly over the contentious judicial overhaul.<\/p>\n Upon completion of the transaction, Merit will become the majority shareholder of Channel 13.<\/p>\n Access Industries and WBD will remain shareholders in the TV station.<\/p>\n \t Financial details of the agreement were not made public, however according to Hebrew-language reports, the Merit Foundation plans to invest about $120 million in the ailing Israeli TV station.<\/p>\n Financial data obtained by The Marker showed that Channel 13 burned through NIS 340 million (approximately $110 million) between 2022 and 2025. Without a dramatic turnaround, the channel is projected to lose another NIS 250 million ($80 million) by 2027.<\/p>\n However, according to the business daily, sources close to the negotiations suggested<\/a> that the decision to initially accept Drahi\u2019s offer had been driven not by business metrics but by regulatory and political pressure.<\/p>\n Messages were reportedly conveyed to Blavatnik suggesting that a sale to the tech group would face bureaucratic delays orchestrated by the government, whereas a transfer of shares to Drahi \u2014 who also owns the HOT cable network and the i24NEWS channel \u2014 would be fast-tracked.<\/p>\n In addition to concerns over journalistic independence, unions had been bracing for a large wave of layoffs if the Drahi offer had gone through.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tWiz co-founder and CEO Assaf Rappaport. (Courtesy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20220202__9XU9J4__v1__HighRes__FranceMediaParliament-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFrench telecom and media group Altice president Patrick Drahi arrives for a hearing before a parliamentary commission on media concentration at the French Senate in Paris on February 2, 2022. (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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