Israel’s Hop! Media leads tributes to respected TV veteran Alona Abt

Alona Abt

Israeli kids’ content company Hop! Media Group’s co-founder Alona Abt has died at the age of 67 following a long battle with cancer.

The TV industry veteran died last Friday, with Hop! expressing its “profound sorrow” while honouring Abt’s influence on both the company and wider children’s programming.

Abt started her career in the early 1980s as a theatre director and magazine researcher, before going on to produce documentaries and corporate films for MVI in Tel Aviv.

Together with her partner Tamir Paul, she founded preschool brand Hop! Channel in 2000 and led its evolution into Hop! Media Group, launching kids’ channels Luli, Israeli Childhood, Pele and WIZ.

Hop! Media Group said Abt’s belief that children deserve a safe, enriching and imaginative media environment “touched generations of children and families while inspiring creators, educators, and media professionals in Israel and around the world.”

As co-founder, co-owner and CEO, Abt shaped Hop! Media Group’s growth into a company that now produces, distributes and acquires kids’ content across multiple platforms. It has also launched localised international channels in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

In 2023, Michal Butel was appointed CEO of the company as Abt and Paul stepped aside after two decades of leadership.

Butel said: “I had the privilege of working alongside Alona for many years, learning that true leadership is guided by both vision and heart. She taught us that humanity and values are not at odds with success; they are its very foundation.

“Her legacy will continue to guide me, everyone at Hop!, and the millions of children who have grown up – and will continue to grow up – in good hands.”

Writing on LinkedIn, Sherrie Rollins Westin, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, said: “I’m saddened to learn of the passing of Alona Abt. Alona was the visionary leader of Hop! TV, who believed that children’s media could foster greater understanding and empathy across cultures.

“It was a privilege to work with her on the local Israeli-Palestinian coproduction of Sesame Street – Rechov Sumsum and Shara’a Simsim – which helped children find common ground across difference. Alona leaves a lasting legacy for the countless children whose lives she touched.”