In this installment of The Shutdown’s Aftermath, we’ll take a look at how the cessation of ABS-CBN’s free-to-air operations on May 5, 2020 prompted a digital revolution for the company (and the general public, as well).
Background and pre-May 5 state
In 2020, a shift to digital platforms happened at a pace never seen before. This was primarily caused by two factors. The first being the lack of fresh content on free TV, thanks to production shutdowns. Meanwhile, the second (and perhaps a major boost for the scenario) is the closure of ABS-CBN, the country’s largest media network, on free TV.
Prior to the fateful date of May 5, 2020, ABS-CBN was already the leading Philippine media channel on YouTube with more than 28,000,000 subscribers, its Facebook page was already boasting more or less 20 million followers. Apart from those, they have already launched the largest homegrown OTT service iWant in 2018, coupled with its international counterpart TFC Online.
Major services offered after May 5
iWantTFC
First on the table is the reinvigorated iWant, which had gone global last September 1 when it rebranded as iWantTFC.
Created through the merger of iWant and TFC Online, iWantTFC houses most content from the catalog of its parent company. One vast difference, however, from its previous incarnation as iWant is the launch of tiered subscription service — where the most expensive plan allows access to all episodes and programs available on the streaming platform.
iWantTFC has also welcomed non-ABS-CBN produced/affiliated content to be streamed on the platform. One example of that would be the 2020 edition of the Cinemalaya Festival and slate of Viva Films releases this year (that is in itself also shared between KTX and Vivamax).
See It F1rst has also become a sensation in its own way as Kapamilya series become available 48 hours before their broadcast on TV and Kapamilya Online Live.
KTX
While it’s been around for much longer than the merged product iWantTFC, KTX only began to be widely promoted in April of last year, a month before the FTA shutdown. Initially under the helm of a now-defunct division of the network, ABS-CBN Films took over the reins and revamped KTX as an online PPV service, and now known as Key To eXperiences.
The relaunch of KTX (which originally stood for Kapamilya Tickets) came at a perfect time. As the pandemic brought live staging of concerts, events, and mass gathering of crowds to a halt, KTX served as an alternative online venue for such activity. Movie releases by Star Cinema also logically moved to KTX as the theaters remained closed for much of 2020 (and 2021).
Other studio outfits took notice of the service’s meteoric rise in recent months and later joined the wagon. Viva is a great example of this, as they have co-launched much of their newly-produced and distributed films on the KTX platform.
ABS-CBN Radio Service and News App
While not as prominent as the first two services, ABS-CBN Radio Service is a major component to the severely-depleted reach of ABS-CBN News.
Through the ARS app, listeners could engage in podcasts versions of both ANC and TeleRadyo shows, livestream TeleRadyo and MOR — the former AM and FM stations of ABS-CBN.
Meanwhile, the ABS-CBN News app blends the functionalities of ARS with realtime news updates and articles that are available on the Kapamilya news website.
Kapamilya Online Live
Perhaps the biggest gamble of ABS-CBN in the cyberspace is the launch of Kapamilya Online Live. From the name itself, KOL is the online livestreaming channel of ABS on Facebook and YouTube.
Launched on August 1, 2020, KOL streamed much of the ABS-CBN shows previously available/aired on free-to-air television. Later on, Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin made history as it was the first teleserye to launch simultaneously on Kapamilya Channel and KOL — eventually earning the title digital-serye for that feat.
To date, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano has the highest viewership (in terms of peak numbers during the 8:00pm telecast) at more than 156,000 concurrent viewers. It should also be noted that FPJAP was the first ABS primetime series to livestream on their YouTube channel, weeks before the formal launch of KOL.
KOL had also become a gauge for the success of Kapamilya programs, oftentimes being credited for a slump or a rise in interest for certain shows as live numbers also serve as realtime feedback.
KOL-branded catchups were first available for 48 hours on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel. However, with the good viewership of those shows, it was later expanded to 7 days after its first broadcast.
Other online ventures
Partnerships with WeTV/iFlix and Netflix
ABS-CBN has since entered into several deals with other streamers. In April of this year, ABS-CBN and WeTV/iFlix entered into an agreement to make the Kapamilya primetime shows available on both platforms at most 48 hours before their TV and KOL broadcast.
Netflix has also opened its doors to more ABS-CBN Films and iWantTFC Originals in recent months. The list of shows/movies include The House Arrest of Us, Momol Nights, Four Sisters Before The Wedding, and Love or Money, among others.
DASH (Digital Advertising Self-serve Hub)
To help recuperate from losses incurred due to the dwindling ad revenue, ABS-CBN launched DASH to encourage MSMEs (micro-small-medium enterprises) to advertise on their platforms. Other than that, not much is known on how much the service has contributed to the company.
In retrospect…
The success of several ventures in the list above proves how the appetite for more content online grew exponentially since the FTA shutdown and amidst the raging pandemic. While it was unimaginable before 2020, the expedited shift to those platforms is a greenlight on the endless possibilities that this change in consumption will bring to the Philippine media landscape moving forward. With a huge entity in ABS-CBN now leading the charge, it will only be a matter of time before their peers in the industry (finally) recognizes the full potential of this new frontier.