ABS-CBN, AMBS sign partnership agreement for ‘TV Patrol,’ Jeepney TV blocks on ALLTV

“Sama na All.”

On Tuesday, April 23, content giant ABS-CBN and TV station ALLTV signed a partnership agreement covering flagship Kapamilya primetime newscast ‘TV Patrol’ and other content from its subsidiary channel Jeepney TV.

Representing ABS-CBN at the event were its Chairman Mark Lopez, President and CEO Carlo Katigbak, COO for Broadcast Cory Vidanes, CFO Rick Tan, Chief Partnership Officer Bobby Barreiro, among other officers.

Some of those present for ALLTV’s side are Villar group chairman and former Senator Manny Villar, Paolo Villar, Rep. Camille Villar, AMBS President Maribeth Tolentino.

Rep. Camille Villar, in her opening speech, said that their group is looking forward to making the collaboration between ABS-CBN and ALLTV a “long and fruitful one.”

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak noted that there will be people who “will feel something” over the company’s symbolic return to its old frequency on channel 2, which he described as a “home that was once ours.”

However, he also said that it is “time to put the past behind” to continue their corporation’s commitment to be “in the service of the Filipino wherever they may be.”

‘HIS2RY’ OF CHANNEL 2 IN A NUTSHELL

Since its return in 1986 after being forcibly shut down by the Marcos regime, ABS-CBN has held on to the free-to-air frequency of channel 2, which it had initially called as ‘The Star Network’ before reintroducing it as the Kapamilya network in the late ’90s.

On May 5, 2020, due to the expiry of its 1995 Congressional franchise to operate broadcast stations on television and radio, ABS-CBN was once again ordered to close down — this time, by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

In July that year, in a vote of 70-11-2, the Legislative Franchises committee of the House of Representatives voted in favor of the non-renewal of the Kapamilya network’s franchise.

On September 10, 2020, the NTC officially recalled all frequencies it once granted ABS-CBN to operate nationwide, including the prized free TV analog channel 2 in Mega Manila, 101.9 mHz on FM radio, and 630 kHz on AM radio.

More than a year later, in January 2022, the commission granted channel 2, as well as its permanent digital TV frequency of channel 16 in Mega Manila to Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS), which at that point in time, had already been acquired by the Villar group from the Vera family.

To bolster its project, AMBS tapped personalities like Willie Revillame, Toni Gonzaga, Anthony Taberna, among others, to join its original roster of talents.

In July 2022, it was announced that the ‘new channel 2’ will be branded on-air as ALLTV, in line with the ‘All’ branding of several Villar flagship businesses like AllDay supermarket and AllHome furniture stores.

On September 13, 2022, in conjunction with the wedding anniversary of Manny Villar and wife Senator Cynthia Villar, ALLTV was “soft-launched” and commenced operations with hours of live special programming from noon to evening.

However, in March 2023, the channel suspended the production of all its original shows, including primetime game show ‘Wowowin,’ talk shows ‘Toni’ and ‘Mhies On A Mission,’ due to low advertising load and signal reach at that moment.

They later resumed original shows by way of blocktimers and partnerships.

In early 2024, speculations were rife that AMBS/ALLTV had entered into talks with the ‘old channel 2’ operator ABS-CBN for its programming.

It’s important to note that since its 2022 launch, ALLTV had already been carrying shows from ABS-CBN through the latter’s archived shows that were aired pre-shutdown.

Then on April 15, flagship newscast ‘TV Patrol,’ its weekend edition ‘TV Patrol Weekend,’ and a nearly-all-day block of shows from cable channel Jeepney TV began filling most of ALLTV’s airtime.

The said deal basically repositions ALLTV as a channel “with relevant information and timeless Filipino classics for their [audiences] enrichment and enjoyment,” as per the joint statement they sent to Inquirer’s Biz Buzz last week.

CURRENT SET-UP

The “channel 2” comeback of ABS-CBN through ALLTV is seen from Monday to Sunday, beginning with the ‘Jeepney TV sa ALLTV’ blocks. 

Its morning block airs daily from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, while afternoon shows run from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm on weekdays and from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm on weekends.

The primetime line-up broadcasts from 8:00 pm to 10:15 pm every weekday evening, while it is from 6:15 pm to 10:00 pm every weekend.

At present, the Jeepney TV on ALLTV blocks are still undergoing a dry run, with official broadcasts set to begin on May 13, 2024.

‘TV Patrol’ is simultaneously broadcast on ALLTV, among its other platforms, at 6:30 pm on weeknights, while ‘TV Patrol Weekend’ airs at 5:30 pm.

In between, ALLTV continues to screen its ‘ALLFLIX Noon Fix’ block at 1:00 pm and a Korean drama belt every late-night.

EXPANDED REACH

In recent days, it has been reported that ALLTV has made significant improvement in terms of reach, having expanded from a sole Mega Manila station to a network consisting of relay stations in cities like Davao City, Zamboanga City, and in the province of Isabela, among others.

The network, for its part, has also made the announcement of its new stations nationwide prior to the start of the ABS-CBN deal this month through a TV spot. 

ALLTV has yet to specify the places where it already has established its presence.

---