Israel’s Hop! Media Group is putting former head of content Michal Butel in charge of its whole broadcasting business as CEO.

Butel has already been steering the ship as deputy CEO for the past six years, but she now replaces Hop! co-founders Alona Abt and Tamir Paul, who are stepping away from leading the company they launched in 1999.

Abt and Paul will remain among the group’s owners and serve as board members, a spokesperson tells Kidscreen.

Hop! operates multiple channels for young viewers in Israel, and it has the country’s largest TV market share of kids under the age of seven. Its channels include Hop! (preschool), WIZ (six to 11s), Luli (toddlers) and PELE, a new all-animation preschool net with an SEL focus that just launched in April.

Butel has 30 years of experience working in Israel’s vibrant TV industry, including stints as a content manager at leading prodco Keshet and as head of branded channels and local productions for Israeli broadcaster yes.