After a year-and-a-half.
Earlier this week, news broke out among several well-known fan pages of ABS-CBN shows that the Kapamilya network’s flagship primetime newscast TV Patrol will soon return to free TV. According to these pages, TVP will air on A2Z Channel 11, the terrestrial television station owned by ZOE Broadcasting Network and blocktimed by ABS-CBN since October 2020.
Rumors this week
A2Z later announced the cancellation of the daily Primetime Zinema movie block, effective December 31, 2021. Instead, it will be relaunched as Afternoon Zinema beginning January 3, 2022 at 4:00pm. Kids shows have since been moved to weekends with the said move. With Primetime Zinema now out of the picture, the 6:30pm slot — when TV Patrol comes to air — on A2Z had been deemed vacant.
The rumors became more rife when Brightlight-produced Rated Korina announced a new timeslot every Saturday at 5:00pm on A2Z. Previously, the magazine show aired at 6:00pm on channel 11, concurrent with TV Patrol Weekend on Kapamilya Channel.
Confirmation from either ABS-CBN or ZOE were far from sight, until January 1st, 2022.
Upon checking on a Sky Cable electronic program guide (EPG), one could catch a glimpse of A2Z’s schedule beginning Monday, January 3, 2022. Take note, Sky Cable is owned by ABS-CBN Corporation, the company behind TV Patrol. True enough, A2Z’s Afternoon Zinema has been slotted in at 4:00pm. However, the unexpected confirmation comes in the form of TV Patrol now being part of A2Z’s line-up starting Monday on the EPG.
For visualization, here’s how A2Z’s schedule looks like on Sky Cable’s EPG. The said picture has also been verified by Trendrod on a separate set-top box, which also displays the same schedule.
As for TV Patrol Weekend, the program’s state is yet to be determined as of the moment, especially with the electronic program guide only being able to display A2Z’s programming grid from January 3 until 7.
Back on free TV
With this development, it would be TV Patrol’s return to the free-to-air arena after being forced off the space on May 5, 2020. After the channel 2 shutdown, TVP migrated to digital terrestrial TV, where it aired on TeleRadyo and CineMo! — only for both channels to eventually shut on DTT due to the alias cease-and-desist order implemented by the NTC on June 30, 2020.
In late July 2020, the program moved to ABS-CBN’s replacement cable channel, Kapamilya Channel. In August of the same year, the program joined the Kapamilya Online Live streaming channel on Facebook and YouTube, where it is consistently getting an upwards of 100,000 live viewers each weekeday evening.
Prior to May 5, 2020, TV Patrol had been one of, if not the, Philippines’ top-rating primetime newscast. The program also simulcast on radio via DZMM. 12 regional editions were also once available, but were eventually canceled due to the events after ABS-CBN’s franchise denial.
TVP’s free-to-air rebroadcast audience will only be limited. Currently, only those who have analog and digital receivers in Mega Manila and parts of Eastern Visayas can receive A2Z Channel 11.
ABS-CBN News and ZOE have yet to issue a formal statement and publicity material regarding TV Patrol’s return to free airwaves.
UPDATE
A2Z has also confirmed through an on-screen TV guide that TV Patrol Weekend will air on the channel beginning today, January 1, 2022 at 6:00pm.