Interior Minister Gideon Saar has updated the government list of the three large newspapers that agencies must publish building tenders and other legal announcements. This list now includes Yisrael Hayom, Yediot Achronot and the Yisrael Post. Off the list are Maariv and Haaretz. This will result in the two latter newspapers losing significant advertising revenue.

The minister based his decision on a TGI poll which signaled the two newspapers have been on a steady decline over the past nine years while the Yisrael Hayom and Yisrael Post, both distributed for free, have been growing annually. The two newspapers turned to the minister requesting to be added to the government list and following his probe, and that is just what he did.

The TGI poll revealed Yediot and Yisrael Hayom receive 38% of the marketplace followed by Yisrael Post with 8%. Haaretz receives 6% and Maariv is in last place with 5%.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)