First off, a little personal note.
I apologize for the long layover after this post.
I was supposed to write something every week, but the time I wrote my last post (aka my call to put Hero back on air via Cignal TV) was also the time when the election campaign was at fever pitch, and, naturally, I got really tired because I really have no energy to write another long-ish post after toiling for five days for the paper, hence, the long layover again.
So now, the elections have been done and dusted, and with it, a new President and a Vice-President who was voted by the majority of the population, and now, I hope, my schedule won’t be as much torturous as in the previous weeks.
I do not commit again to write weekly, but as much as I can, I will be writing pieces in this blog at least twice a month, the frequency, it really depends on the importance of the topic and the zeal that I have in writing every single piece. The arrangement starts today, and I hope this frequency will be a more comfortable fit not just for me, but to you who have been following me through the time I started to write again this blog last year.
Also, if you want to be a proud supporter of this blog, I will flash my GCash number at the bottom of this post so you can be able to contribute, even in your little way, to what I do, and to also finance my upcoming expansion and move to a web host. I will also open a Paypal account so that you can also donate from abroad. I promise that any funds that I will receive will not be for profit and will be maintained for the upkeep of the blog and for your continued support to make this blog an independent venture.
(Many thanks to Senor Ramon Ortoll who has given me ample tips and inputs not just on blogging but also on writing as well, you can follow his independent pieces on The Buried Lead)
Now, on to the topic at hand:
Social media exploded in the past few days after media blogsite Media Newser Philippines revealed that talks between ABS-CBN and MediaQuest Holdings, the media holding company of the PLDT Group of Manuel Pangilinan, are now nearing a “partnership” where they will combine their resources in terms of production, operation, and newsgathering.
Speaking to anonymous sources, the blog claimed that negotiations remain ongoing but the partnership will be a dead-even 50-50 venture which will have an equal say on programming, news gathering, and even acquisition. It also even hinted that MediaQuest may even take a play to acquire SkyCable, the cable company owned by the Lopez Group.
The partnership was not because it was done in a whim: They want to counter the upcoming launch of Advanced Media Broadcasting System, now owned by another taipan with a Manuel name on it: Manuel B. Villar. And knowing that Villar has pockets that are as deep as Pangilinan (plus the fact that the old Channel 2 and Channel 16 DTT frequency of ABS was already allocated to the network), ABS had no choice, or if the MNP story is to be believed, but to talk to the one who has the money and the frequency.
(It is also worth noting that AMBS is now reportedly preparing to launch its venture in the coming months, with Willie Revillame leading the charge in Entertainment and Korina Sanchez reportedly wooing some news personnel, according to Bilyonaryo, to which, the broadcaster vehemently denied via Bilyonaryo’s sister publication, Abante.)
Hence, the MediaQuest play.
So, how would an ABS-CBN and TV5 go along if ever? And does it mean that our proposition on a Hero TV revival on Cignal TV may happen indeed?
Let’s parse it out.
Let’s admit it, this partnership is not anymore a big surprise, I mean we have already dissected how this partnership will indeed fly around and how it would be beneficial to both parties in numerous blogs already (please do read them as a backgrounder). But the timing and the aspects of this partnership, not to mention the reportage of this so-called bombshell, is, to say the least, somewhat suspect.
For starters, the item of Media Newser Philippines seemed to interpret the nuance that ABS-CBN wants TV5 so bad that they were the ones who wanted the Pangilinan-owned network’s platform. I don’t think that is the case, and I believe that MediaQuest will not allow some huge concessions just to get the partnership off the ground (and ABS also willing to let go some concessions as well).
The article also said that the ABS is willing to let go SkyCable to Cignal TV as well. First, the rumors of SkyCable being sent to Cignal is not new: It was floated during the early days post ABS-CBN shutdown until the deal went off months later because, as Pangilinan had said, he was wary of possible regulatory headaches involving the sale of the dominant cable company to the dominant satcaster even if the Philippine Competition Commission had loosened its cap on mergers due to the pandemic, a fact not lost on the PLDT group when they had to go through the wringer to acquire erstwhile competitor Digitel years back.
So this leads us to the third reason why this “partnership” was being floated: to create a formidable competitor that would rival Manny Villar’s (pictured on the left) AMBS, or as some sectors call it derisively, the “Capamella” Network (a bastardized portmanteau of Camella homes and ‘kapamilya’) or Villar TV.
To be fair, let us give AMBS the “benefit of the doubt” as most of those being reported on the media are just pure speculation. The only thing definite is that Willie Revillame is the one calling the shots in terms of entertainment content and, based on their business case presented to the NTC, they aim to spend around P28 million to startup the network. Everything is still fluid at this stage, so to speak, but the financial might of the richest Filipino in the country should not be discounted. The costs of running the station, and its possible losses, should not be a problem for Villar, who has a net worth of $8.2 billion (or around P427 billion) at his disposal. Further, he won’t have any problems on ownership, as the franchise will be in solid Filipino hands, unlike MediaQuest, who is owned by the PLDT Retirement Fund to escape the constitutional requirement as the telco itself is owned by a foreign company.
Overall, both ABS-CBN and TV5 have something to get scared of AMBS, especially now that they have the coveted Channel 2 (and DTT Channel 16) frequencies, and this is what the partnership is all about, or so is my interpretation of the MNP article.
Win-win, Win-Lose, Or Lose-Win?
Roone Arledge, in his memoir, had said it best: You win some, you lose some… but sometimes, you win some, and WIN some!.
Looking inward, this possible partnership between ABS-CBN and TV5 (We’ll use TV5 from hereon as a metonym for MediaQuest, TV5, and Cignal TV in general) will be a win for viewers, executives, and employees of both networks. Kapamilyas will get a permanent space for primetime shows, Kapatids will get the stability of the ratings as these shows deliver audiences. It would also help TV5 in a big way if the so-called partnership includes broadcast engineering updates, as TV5 badly needs a signal update especially in areas where they are weak. ABS-CBN’s Digital TV infrastructure could be of help to improve the Kapatid network’s signal woes in other areas.
It could be said that while the ABS-CBN and TV5 rumored partnership was borne because of the shutdown of the former in 2020, it bodes well for both entities.
Now, we will have a formidable programming powerhouse that could serve different genres of programs to multiple audiences through multiple platforms, whether on TV, Computers, or even on mobile phones.
But it would also lead to big questions as well, such as the possible integration of its news divisions. As MNP pointed out in the article, the partnership is not just extending to programming, but to news as well, and we know that some ABS-CBN personalities such as Ted Failon, Julius Babao, and Gretchen Ho had moved to TV5 as well, boosting their news capability. Integrating ABS-CBN News and News 5 would not only create redundancies, but it would also be awkward especially to those who moved from ABS-CBN, like really awkward. (It would also create a big question on what would TV5 do on its newscast, Frontline Pilipinas, if indeed TV Patrol moves to TV5 as well as part of the partnership.)
But I think the major win for TV5 is the possible use of unaired anime shows and movies from the ABS-CBN library. Shows like Boruto have not yet been given a second run on FTA since the shutdown (lucky for A2Z as they were able to finish Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card), and I think TV5 has to get some of the best anime shows at its disposal for its early morning slots for both weekdays and weekends. It is high time TV5 should get on the anime business back, as they were the ones who rekindled the anime spirit among viewers with its AniMEGA block. I have extensively discussed about this in my post about TV5’s rebrand and it seems that my idea may come into fruition if the partnership does happen (just look at My Hero Academia).
And should I have to reiterate this again?, Hero will get a new lease on life on Cignal TV, nuff said.
A Partnership Among Equals?
The news about the ABS-CBN and TV5 partnership will surely shake up the Philippine Television industry, and with good reason, this ends one part of the intense rivalry among our FTA broadcasters as they navigate an increasingly digital world that is being lorded by the Netflixes, the Disney Pluses, the Prime Videos, and the Vius of this world (even if Disney Plus is not yet even launched in the country and most of those who watch its shows watch it illegally).
Let’s face it, some Filipinos do not watch TV shows anymore on their TV. They watch it on their device, be it a computer, a laptop, or even a mobile phone. The presence of streamers makes it imperative for our traditional media networks to step up and increase their presence online, through partnerships with the streamers or funding their own avenues for streaming, such as iWantTFC and CignalPlay.
Broadcasters are also aware that the country is slated to switch off its analog terrestrial TV broadcasts by 2023, and by that time, all of our signals are already through Digital Terrestrial TV, which carries an extensive burden too on investments in terms of transmitter and video quality to allow more viewers to watch their shows through their DTT-ready TV or DTT set top boxes.
It could be said that while the ABS-CBN and TV5 rumored partnership was borne because of the shutdown of the former in 2020, it bodes well for both entities. Now, we will have a formidable programming powerhouse that could serve different genres of programs to multiple audiences through multiple platforms, whether on TV, Computers, or even on mobile phones.
For me as a media aficionado, it is exciting to see the prospect of the two networks joining together to serve more Filipinos. As an Anime fan though, I am hoping for the very best that TV5 wakes up to its senses and revive Hero TV, using the best anime shows from ABS-CBN at its disposal.
That is how true partnership works, and I hope it happens.
/FSD
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