Cignal should Revive Hero, Period

Yes, that’s it, that’s the tea

Cignal TV should exercise its coziness with ABS-CBN by getting the trademarks and the content of Hero TV from Creative Programs, Inc. and revive that channel that was the cornerstone of Japanese pop culture on Philippine Television.

Just think, A revived Hero TV under the aegis of Cignal TV would not only give the channel eyeballs (Cignal and SatLite TV has an estimated reach of around 3.5 to 3.7 million subscribers across the country), but it will also give them a channel where there is a captive audience ready to ditch their current operator just to watch Filipino-dubbed anime shows, which is severely lacking anywhere on television.

You don’t believe me, let’s run through the reasons why they should revive it.

A Storied Brand 

Of course, Hero TV is not just a channel, it is a “storied” brand that was borne out of Filipinos’ love for anime and Japanese culture. In fact, I think that this was one of the best things ABS-CBN did in their history, recognizing the fact that there is a market for anime, and Filipino dubbed anime at that. 

In fact, the creation of Hero TV was not because ABS-CBN tried to woo them, it was because of years of research and ratings analysis made by their topnotch Research and Business Analysis team, led by their then head of research and customer business development Vivian Tin. 

In an article wrote by the Sunday Inquirer Magazine in 2007 (which is not anymore available online), ABS-CBN made a research on the profile of anime viewers in the country, and their research became the linchpin on how Hero TV programmed their shows that time, 

What is the profile of anime viewers? Market information and consumer insights from a study conducted by the ABS-CBN Research and Business Analysis group profiles them as kids aged two to 12, who watch three to four hours, and teeners who spend anywhere from two to three hours on TV viewing on weekdays. All these age groups of children watch more cable on weekends than on weekdays.

Again, this reiterates the point that ABS-CBN did not create Hero on a whim. It was backed by solid scientific data of their audience that it convinced Gabby Lopez, the former ABS-CBN chairman, to approve the bankrolling of the anime channel in 2005. (some quarters said it was in 2004). 

I have written countless articles regarding ABS-CBN and Hero, both on this blog and my other blogs, and I don’t want to belabor you much on my history of the channel or how Hero has became influential in my life. Rather, I would want you to read on why ABS-CBN should consider moving its trademark and the shows that aired on the channel to its potential savior, Cignal TV. 

Cignal: A Perfect Partner 

You may ask, Why Cignal TV? Why not ABS-CBN themselves? 

Let’s face it. ABS-CBN, after their debacle in 2020, is powerless anymore. They cannot create channels unlike in 2005, the year when Hero first made air through the Panamsat-8 satellite (it switched to Intelsat 19). We cannot expect ABS to do a resurrection of Hero TV unless they make again huge sacrifices, and right now, I don’t think ABS has the capability (or even the temerity) to fund again a channel that they believe have a fickle audience (again, at the risk of me repeating again, like 2005). 

But there is one thing ABS-CBN can exploit: The name Hero and the content that the channel owned since 2005. The network’s Central Library still has the tapes of Hero TV’s anime content that needs to be shown the light of day, as long as a new broadcaster will be able to renew the license to these titles, (both FTA, Cable/Satellite and yes, OTT rights), and I think only one broadcaster fits the bill perfectly. 

That is Cignal TV. 

Yes, Cignal TV has been on a channel-creation spree of late, and with good reason. With additional money from nearly four million subscribers across two brands, Cignal and SatLite, plus backing from the country’s biggest telecommunication company, PLDT, it would be impossible for MediaQuest’s content company not to make content channels suited for different tastes and audiences. 

But Cignal does not want to do it alone, They need to partner with the best content providers in the country, and so, they signed up deals with Viva (for Sari Sari), APT Entertainment (for BuKo) and Bloomberg TV (for One News), while locking up sports rights such as the NBA (for NBA TV Philippines), the UAAP (for UAAP Varsity Channel), and signing news personalities such as Julius Babao and Ted Failon. 

Sure, there had been some few blunders, such as Colours and One Screen, which faltered and got disconnected with their supposed target audience, but I think, and this is an educated speculation, Cignal is still keen to add more content especially with the aim of retaining their base as the country’s largest pay television provider. 

(It also probably helped that the Disney regime had closed down their Southeast Asian channel business except for National Geographic to focus on Disney+, which is still not available yet in the Philippines as of this writing.) 

Of these reasons alone, Cignal TV should be the one who should keep the legacy of Hero TV alive. 

Partnership of Equals 

Aside from these, one major reason that I would push Cignal to take over all the IP and the content that is related to Hero is the fact that ABS-CBN has a very cozy relationship with the satcaster since 2020. 

Since SkyDirect was one of the main victims of the franchise denial, ABS-CBN had no other choice but to approach two satellite providers to allow their content to be shown. One is Global Satellite Technology Resources (formerly First United Broadcasting Corporation), owners of G-Sat, and Cignal TV. 

From the two providers, ABS-CBN is more keen to partner with the leading satellite broadcaster than G-Sat, as it was the only provider to have its movie crown jewel, Cinema One, aside from other channels such as Kapamilya Channel, Myx, Metro Channel, Jeepney TV, and Cinemo.

And of course, we know that TV5, which acts as the Free-TV broadcaster of Cignal, is now carrying ABS-CBN’s programs from Sunday to Friday, and there is also a good reason to believe that the version of My Hero Academia that aired on TV5 was the one that aired on ABS-CBN and Yey, even though it was not part of the so-called blocktime agreement. 

If TV5 was able to do the impossible with their partnership with ABS-CBN, then I don’t see any problem why Hero should be revived under a joint venture between Creative Programs and Cignal TV, with Cignal TV providing the infrastructure and CPI providing the programming. 

The Pros and the Cons of a Hero 2.0 

(At this juncture, I am now talking in the event that there is a Hero 2.0 being planned by both CPI and Cignal TV at this stage.) 

Would there be any problem regarding licensing issues of anime shows aired on the channel? Unlike Sports, where the only main complication is who owns the rights to a league or an event, Anime shows are a different banana. Their licenses to air expire after a finite number of years. It is highly likely that the shows that were aired on Hero have already lapsed their airing rights after the shutdown of the channel, and there goes the complication of renewing them, as it entails another cost.

For Hero 2.0 to become successful, Cignal and CPI should work out a deal where they would shoulder the cost of renewal of license of the initial batch of shows that could be aired on the channel that would come from the ABS-CBN Library, while newer anime shows can be shouldered by Cignal themselves. 

It should be an imperative, though, that Cignal must get the online rights to these shows and put them on Cignal Play, as OTT should be part and parcel of their plans to renew the channel. Most of the target market of a Hero 2.0 are upwardly mobile or watch their shows online, and they must be given a choice to watch these shows whether on linear broadcast or on their Cignal Play app. 

And finally, The channel must have a high-definition broadcast feed from the get-go. The big problem of Hero TV during the latter part of its life was while Japan was now having more anime airing in HD, the network continued to air content in SD, even during the time ABS-CBN was neck-deep in preparing their infrastructure to HD. It was a case of “too little to late,”. With Hero 2.0 going into HD from the start of its broadcast life, it will not only benefit from crystal-clear picture and Dolby-enhanced sound from Cignal TV, It would also showcase the stunning imagery of newer anime shows that were in HD to begin with. 

There are a lot more things to consider regarding Hero 2.0 on CPI and Cignal, such as how the promotions will be done, who will man the channel, and would other cable providers should be given the benefit of getting the channel for their own systems, but this must be explored if and when CPI and Cignal come to terms to an agreement to revive the channel. 

Would this be a lost cause? 

With all the things that I said, you may be wondering (and asking as well), “Why the hell revive a dead channel?” 

For me, its simple, because I believe in Hero TV. 

Hero TV was not just a channel for me, it was a dream come true. It was the place where I wanted to escape my shitty life as a teenager to a world where I am with my favorite characters. 

Hero TV’s slogan was “Dahil sa Hero, Bida ka Rito”, and that was true. You were part of the shows themselves. You were not just a viewer, you were a star. You were given the inspiration by these characters to chart your own destiny as a young person and as a teenager, and even going into your adult life. And that’s what struck me. 

I admit, I have never seen much of Hero the entire life it was on air because I was not a subscriber of SkyCable, but I think there is a chance for Hero TV to redeem itself by being reborn again, and with the help of Cignal TV, I think Hero TV will be in good hands, especially, in terms of rekindling a new audience that has been wanting for the best anime shows dubbed in Filipino since it went off the air in 2018. 

So, my message to Robert P. Galang (President and CEO of Cignal TV), Sienna Olaso (FVP, Channels and Content), Miguel Vea (VP of Channel Management and Programming), Isabel Santillan (VP, Cignal Entertainment) and to the Cignal TV content team, as well as the CPI team is this: 

Revive Hero and bring it on Cignal TV, because Filipino youngsters need to see their dreams and aspirations come alive with an Anime channel that will inspire them to become a “Bida” in their own midst. 

/FSD