Len Blavatnik, the second-richest man in Britain, is facing a series of protests in the UK after his Israeli television channel was accused of cancelling programmes to please Benjamin Netanyahu.
Other cultural institutions featuring the Blavatnik name could later be targeted, with the protesters arguing that the billionaire’s media company is undermining freedom of the press in Israel.
He also controls a wide range of businesses including Warner Music – home to Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Megan Thee Stallion – as well as sports streaming company DAZN and London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Channel 13 News’ board last month appointed Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, a former politician seen as an ally of the Israeli prime minister, as its chief executive.
Her arrival was swiftly followed by the cancellation of a popular investigative news programme hosted by the journalist Raviv Drucker, who had exposed a series of scandals about Netanyahu and a recent story about alleged corruption in the transport ministry.
Blavatnik’s stake in Channel 13 is owned by the oligarch’s Access Entertainment business, which is led by former BBC director of television Danny Cohen.
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