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INTV television conference returns to Jerusalem after hiatus

Local competitors Keshet and Reshet to join forces for international confab, which hasn’t been held since 2019

Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel

Attendees at the 2018 INTV conference at the YMCA in Jerusalem. (Oded Karni)
Attendees at the 2018 INTV conference at the YMCA in Jerusalem. (Oded Karni)

The INTV international TV conference is returning to Jerusalem next year following a four-year hiatus — and will see local competitors Reshet and Keshet join forces.

The conference, slated for June 2023 at the YMCA in Jerusalem, will be the seventh edition of the gathering, which Keshet first launched in 2012. The TV network is responsible for some of the biggest hit shows in Israel, including many that have been released or adapted overseas, like “Prisoners of War,” which was adapted as “Homeland,” “Beauty and the Baker,” which streamed on Amazon Prime, and “When Heroes Fly,” which was sold to Netflix.

Keshet and Reshet air on channels 12 and 13, respectively, the two main commercial networks in Israel, and are locked in a constant ratings battle.

In a statement, Keshet said that this year’s conference will have the “added ambition of showcasing the Israeli-based content-creation industry to the rest of the world.”

Yoram Altman, the CEO of Reshet, said that together the two networks make up “a significant portion of the investment in Israeli content, and the two companies see important value in supporting local production.”

Avi Nir, CEO of Keshet, said in a statement that the “Israeli [TV] market might be small, but it is made up of creative content producers with imagination and vision.” While the industry is undergoing major challenges, Nir said, “there are also many opportunities for cooperation that are opening up.”

Keshet opted not to host a conference in 2020 due to scheduling conflicts, though it would likely have been canceled as the COVID pandemic largely shut down air travel. In 2021 and 2022, uncertainty over restrictions made the conference’s return impractical.

Past INTV conferences have hosted senior executives at major TV networks and streaming services, as well as screenwriters, producers, former CNN president Jeff Zucker and Hollywood star Hugh Laurie.

Next year’s lineup will be announced at a later date.

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