Channel 2 franchisee Keshet Broadcasting Ltd. portal Mako and Israeli-Arab media group Panorama Media portal Panet will jointly provide news and video content. The portals plan to later expand the collaboration to include original content.
Panorama Media CEO Bassem Jaber said, "Panorama believes in cooperating with the Hebrew-language media, and sees the added value in it. In the past year, most Israeli major websites have approached us about cooperation with Panet, and most of these requests are still under review. When we received a specific request from Mako, we responded with great willingness, and decided to move forward quickly, especially in view of the fact that that the present collaboration fits with the launch of Panet's news activities."
Mako CEO and editor-in-chief Yuval Natan said, "We approached Panet out of esteem and honor for Bassem Jaber's media group in particular, and the Arab community in general. Israeli Arabs are an important part of the country's citizenry, they are interested in a wide range of issues, international news, Arab world news, and community news. At the same time, as equal citizens in Israel and Hebrew speakers, they are also interested in Israeli news of the kind that Mako provides. On the other side, the Israeli Jewish audience is interested in news items about the Arab community, and about Israeli Arab perspectives. As part of the understandings with Panet, each site will cite and promote exclusive news items of the other, thereby enabling all of us to enrich the content offering that we offer readers."
According to the latest SGI survey by TGI, Panet is the most popular Arabic-language website in Israel, with a weekly exposure rate of 81.8%. Panet says that Google Analytics indicate 750,000 daily hits on the site.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 9, 2009
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