The Israel Internet Association will fully open the registration of domain names in Hebrew to the general public. (Israel Internet Association, Design – Shtick Media)
The Israeli Internet Index published this week comprehensively maps Israelis' media consumption preferences and internet usage habits in 2022, based on periodic measurements carried out throughout the year by the Internet Association and a comprehensive survey from the beginning of 2023 conducted by the Maagar Mochot Institute.
"The Internet Index encompasses the usage habits of the various Internet services," saidYoram Hacohen, CEO of the Israel Internet Association. "We can clearly see the rapid increase that has occurred over the past year in the consumption of various video content among Israelis, whether in the use of TikTok or in the consumption of series on Netflix. In general, the network has become the main source of media and leisure consumption - television, series and music."
Indeed, the network has never seen better days. The content, available today more than ever in any possible format, gives Israelis a wealth of meaningful experiences: from leisure and entertainment to business meetings, from the small screen of the phone to the home theater system. Accordingly, the platforms on which Israelis consume content are also many and varied.
Social networks maintain their power
The most striking and predictable statistic is that Israelis are addicted to social. Over 90% of the Israeli public uses YouTube, WhatsApp and/or Facebook. TikTok is recording a significant jump in penetration into the Israeli market, with about half of the Israeli public indicating its use at the beginning of 2023, compared to about 30% at the beginning of 2022. Also at the top of the table: Instagram - 70%, Telegram - 54%, and Twitter - 35%.
The list of international sites with the most visits by Israelis through the browser includes Google, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, a site with adult content, whose name was not mentioned in the report, and Zoom.
What does this mean for advertisers? On the one hand, there is no doubt that social networks will continue to be a significant source of leads, business connections, audiences and traffic, but the increasing information overload on these platforms, as well as the frequent policy changes, are expected to harm advertisers' ability to touch consumers' hearts. This brings us to the next section of the report.
Streaming services on the rise
The data revealed for the first time by the Internet Association show that most of the Israeli public uses internet streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify. This is also true for the periphery as opposed to the center and for the secular public as opposed to the national-religious public.
60% of Israelis use Netflix, 10% Disney+, 5% Apple TV, 3% Amazon Premium and 1% Discovery Plus. In music services, Spotify leads with 35%, followed by Apple Music with 8%.
Among Internet TV providers, which until the streaming revolution had full exclusivity in the market, HOT leads with only 20%, followed by Yes with 14%, Partner and Cellcom with 11% each.
This shift in user behavior is expected to have a big impact on advertising, with more and more consumers using their TV or computer to stream content directly from built-in apps and IP services.
The shift from traditional advertising through a regular schedule of satellite and cable TV channels, to personalized ads that can be published with a click on your preferred platform will inevitably be a game changer.
This is breaking news, and the advertising industry has every reason to be excited. First, because it's a kind of inventory replenishment in the digital advertising market, which is crying out for more supplies.
Second, with the future of SEO in jeopardy and attention on social media at zero, free TV provides advertisers with fertile ground to grow their brands.
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What devices do Israelis use to surf the Internet?
Internet use and work among Israelis are divided equally between computers (desktop and laptop) and mobile devices (tablets and cell phones), with the leading browser in Israel significantly in terms of its use - Chrome, with about 70% (landline + cellular). The rest of the browsers are used by a few percentages, the highest of which is Safari IOS with 8.8% usage.
Since the report focused on web sites rather than apps, it did not include Israelis' usage habits on PlayStation and Nintendo devices and gaming apps. I think it's a shame, because according to global forecasts, the gaming market, where attention is much higher, is going to be the next desirable destination for advertisers.
And what do teens do online?
The report also examined the activity of youth online – the data shows that the content most consumed by youth is music and movies (70% responded that this is their main activity on the Internet), and the second activity ranked as the highest in terms of their use of social networks (58%). The
report also found that 49% of teens spend more than 4 hours a day in front of a screen, and a third of all teens reported that their screen time even exceeds 6 hours a day.
The network that teens will not give up on is first and foremost Instagram (41% of all respondents). In addition, about half of the teens reported that their parents do not talk to them at all or rarely about the dangers inherent in the Internet.
Many studies on the subject paint a worrying picture of the negative impact of social networks on the mental health of people in general and adolescents in particular. As advertisers, we need to be aware of the mental dangers that this or that content can cause young people, and make sure to present the subject in an honest and open manner, whether within the marketing team or in front of the following.
Moreover, the generation that emerged from the climate march and COVID-<> is far more involved in social and environmental issues than its predecessors. More and more young people today are looking for the social values that are important to them in brands, and brands that have understood this are benefiting.
Israelis want more
If there's one unequivocal conclusion from the survey, it's that Israelis want more from their internet: more speed, more quality, more devices, more services available.
Yoram Hacohen: "The survey shows that the growing dependence on the network requires "catching up" at a faster pace when it comes to infrastructure – fiber optic and internet speed. The use of the network is increasing rapidly, and the state must ensure that the infrastructure meets the 'demand' and is even prepared for future developments."
Until all this happens, we can take comfort in the space of Hebrew Internet addresses, which was born about six months ago and boasts the new state suffix ".israel". The report notes that shortly after its opening, about 21,600 domain names were added that are fully registered on the Internet in Hebrew. This is expected to enable smoother access by Israelis to local and global websites, where instead of an English address, users will be able to access the site in their own language.
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