It should come sooner than later.
On February 27, 2024, Philippine cable television provider Sky Cable will officially cease operations as PLDT completes its Php 6.75 billion-worth acquistion of the company’s broadband service from its now-former owners, the Lopez Group and ABS-CBN Corporation.
With that news comes the uncertainty hanging on top of ABS-CBN’s own news channel, the 24/7 predominantly English-language ANC or the ABS-CBN News Channel, as a viable service in the long run.
While the news channel has already assured that it will continue its operations post-Sky Cable through other cable systems and online, it will still see its reached significantly impacted by the shutdown.
This, as ANC is currently not part of the Kapamilya network’s suite of channels available on the country’s largest pay television provider Cignal TV.
Hence, it is high time for the ABS-CBN channel to consider creating a giant leap — a significant change in its nearly 30-year-long history.
ANC should finally do a web-based channel representative of ABS-CBN News, similar to how the entertainment group moved forward with their own Kapamilya Online Live service in 2020 after the network’s franchise denial.
The hows and whats
In order to separate it from the TV brand, the web-based live streaming channel should be named ‘ANC Alerts,’ based on the account handles of its social media pages, as well as the title of the channel’s former afternoon show.
‘ANC Alerts’ should be made available primarily on YouTube, as well as on other platforms.
Like KOL, the news channel’s livestream platform would be a mix of original content like live newscasts, as well as archived materials from ABS-CBN’s news division to supplement the airtime otherwise used to broadcast acquired shows on ANC TV.
Should breaking news stories happen, it is imperative that ‘ANC Alerts’ should break away from its usual programming, mainly if the content being aired is only a mere replay or re-run, plus points if it is also simulcast on TV.
It will also help if the ‘ANC Alerts’ channel becomes the single home for all live streamed coverages on ABS-CBN News YouTube channel.
But, if the expected runtime for the live streamed coverages exceeds one hour or so, then a separate feed should be always necessitated.
Basically, ‘ANC Alerts’ will be following the footsteps of international news organizations like ABC News (USA), CBS News, NBC News, and even ABC News Australia and CNA in Singapore, among others.
Schedule
Now, the exciting part. Here’s how the programming grid for ‘ANC Alerts’ could look like.
On weekdays, it could run between 5:30 am and 11:15 pm.
- Weekdays
- 5:30 am – Kapamilya Daily Mass
- 6:00 am – Rundown (LIVE)
- 6:30 am – TV Patrol (replay)
- 7:15 am – Tao Po (on Mondays, replay)
- 8:00 am – Headstart With Karen Davila (LIVE)
- 9:00 am – Market Edge (LIVE)
- 10:00 am – Lifestyle Shows (replay)
- Mon: LSS
- Tue: Executive Class
- Wed: Rev+
- Thu: Insight
- Fri: At The Moment
- 10:30 am – Lifestyle Shows (replay)
- Mon: Pia’s Postcards
- Tue: EIC On The Move
- Wed: Ride: Fei Originals
- Thu: The Crawl
- Fri: Beached
- 11:00 am – Current Affairs Throwback
- 12:00 nn – Dateline Philippines (LIVE)
- 1:00 pm – Headstart (replay)
- 2:00 pm – Market Edge (replay)
- 3:00 pm – Business Roadshow (LIVE)
- 4:00 pm – Dateline Philippines (replay)
- 5:00 pm – Top Story (LIVE)
- 6:00 pm – Lifestyle Shows
- Mon: LSS
- Tue: Executive Class
- Wed: Rev+
- Thu: Insight
- Fri: At The Moment
- 6:30 pm – TV Patrol (LIVE)
- 8:00 pm – Business Outlook (LIVE)
- 8:30 pm – Lifestyle Shows
- Mon: Pia’s Postcards
- Tue: EIC On The Move
- Wed: Ride: Fei Originals
- Thu: The Crawl
- Fri: Beached
- 9:00 pm – The World Tonight (LIVE)
- 9:30 pm – Lifestyle Shows
- Mon: LSS
- Tue: Executive Class
- Wed: Rev+
- Thu: Insight
- Fri: At The Moment
- 10:00 pm – FYE Shows
- 10:30 pm – TV Patrol Express
- 10:45 pm – The World Tonight (Kapamilya Channel simulcast, replay)
- 11:15 pm – OFF STREAM
Saturdays will see its airtime partially reduced to run from 5:30 am until 10:30 pm.
- 5:30 am – Kapamilya Daily Mass
- 6:00 am – Mukha
- 6:30 am – TV Patrol (replay)
- 8:00 am – TFC: TFC News
- 8:30 am – TFC: BRGY
- 9:00 am – Rundown (LIVE)
- 10:00 am – Lifestyle Shows (replay): EntrepLab (replay)
- 10:30 am – Lifestyle Shows: ANC Conversations (replay)
- 11:00 am – Current Affairs Throwback
- 12:00 nn – Dateline Philippines
- 1:00 pm – LSS (replay)
- 1:30 pm – Executive Class (replay)
- 2:00 pm – AND: Spotlight On Stars
- 2:15 pm – AND: NXT
- 2:30 pm – Rev+ (replay)
- 3:00 pm – AND: Patrol Ng Pilipino Playlist
- 3:15 pm – AND: NXT
- 3:30 pm – Insight (replay)
- 4:00 pm – AND: Bistado M.O.
- 4:15 pm – TFC: TFC News
- 4:30 pm – At The Moment (replay)
- 5:00 pm – Top Story (LIVE)
- 5:30 pm – TV Patrol Weekend (LIVE)
- 6:15 pm – Rated Korina (Kapamilya Channel simulcast)
- 7:15 pm – AND: Spotlight On Stars
- 7:30 pm – My Puhunan (new episode)
- 8:00 pm – Metabeats
- 9:00 pm – The World Tonight (LIVE)
- 9:30 pm – ANC Conversations
- 10:00 pm – EntrepLab
- 10:30 pm – OFF STREAM
On Sundays, ‘ANC Alerts’ will be online from 6:00 am until 8:30 pm only.
- 6:00 am – The Word Exposed
- 6:30 am – TV Patrol (replay)
- 7:15 am – My Puhunan (replay)
- 8:00 am – The Healing Eucharist
- 9:00 am – TFC: Adobo Nation
- 10:00 am – Lifestyle Shows (replay): G Diaries
- 10:30 am – Lifestyle Shows (replay): Asian Air Safari
- 11:00 am – Current Affairs Throwback
- 12:00 nn – Metabeats (replay)
- 1:00 pm – AND: Magandang Balita, Bayan (new episode)
- 1:15 pm – AND: Patrol Ng Pilipino Playlist
- 1:30 pm – AND: Spotlight On Stars
- 1:45 pm – AND: Bistado M.O.
- 2:00 pm – AND: Ronda Probinsya (new episode)
- 2:15 pm – AND: NXT
- 2:30 pm – ANC Conversations (replay)
- 3:00 pm – TFC: Adobo Nation (replay)
- 4:00 pm – Rated Korina (replay)
- 5:00 pm – G Diaries
- 5:30 pm – TV Patrol Weekend (LIVE)
- 6:15 pm – Tao Po (Kapamilya Channel simulcast)
- 7:00 pm – Asian Air Safari
- 7:30 pm – FYE
- 8:30 pm – OFF STREAM
These suggested schedules were made in consideration of ANC’s current programming grid in the Philippines, ergo, the lack of original and live programming during the weekend.
At present, the possibility of making ‘ANC Alerts’ a 24/7 service is rather low.
But, if it does materialize, and becomes an “all-day everyday” stream in the process, it would indeed be a welcome development.
More importantly, in our current landscape when reliable news need to fight for more screen time, rather than its usual competition on-air, having a brand as recognizable as ANC in the space is desperately needed.
In return, ANC will also benefit as a streaming channel will boost their overall reach that will be severely depleted by the loss of its primary platform in Sky Cable.