On this day, in 2020, the National Telecommunications Commission issued a cease-and-desist order versus then-leading broadcaster ABS-CBN to shut its free-to-air television and radio stations across the country.
The CDO was given to ABS-CBN on the basis that the Kapamilya network’s 1995 franchise had already lapsed the day prior. The said order covered ABS-CBN, S+A, several DTT channels, MOR, and DZMM.
The network complied with the order and signed off after a special edition of its flagship news program ‘TV Patrol’, which aired on all of their platforms, at 7:52 pm.
After the May 5 shutdown, ABS-CBN returned to DTT via a blocktime agreement with AMCARA, to which the NTC addressed an alias CDO on June 30, 2020.
ABS-CBN also launched Kapamilya Channel on pay TV, where it had migrated most of channel 2’s programs, on June 13, 2020.
Two months after the shutdown, on July 10, 2020, ABS-CBN’s bid for a new legislative franchise was denied by Congress, with a vote of 70 in favor of denying the franchise application, 11 not, while 2 Reps abstained.
In September that year, the NTC recalled all frequencies formerly operated by ABS-CBN. It was only this year when they assigned these to new operators, which are namely: AMBS (channels 2 and 16), Aliw (ch. 23), and SMNI (ch. 43).
In October 2020, ABS-CBN signed a blocktime agreement with Zoe Broadcasting Network, which paved the way for their return to free TV via A2Z.
ABS-CBN had also made similar arrangements with other broadcasters like TV5, and BEAM, to carry their shows.
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