The company, which has no broadcast franchise at this point, has issued their statement about the matter.
In a report by ABS-CBN News, the Kapamilya network declared that a circulating Facebook post regarding its free TV return via channel 3 as “false.“
“This is false information,” a statement from ABS-CBN Corporation in the said piece read.
Likewise, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the body that grants frequencies to franchise-holders, also commented on the matter.
“ABS-CBN has not been issued any permit and/or authorization for the operation of [Channel 3] in Metro Manila or in any part of the country,” NTC said.
The said Facebook post, which has so far garnered thousands of likes on the platform, announced that the network will make its comeback on Monday, February 10 through the said frequency.
“Ibinalik na sa NTC ang mga original frequency ng Channel 3 sa Metro Manila gaya ng napunta balik sa dating tahanan ng ABS-CBN sa Channel 3 na original frequency matapos ang halos anim na dekada,” the false report read.
Although, it referred to the history of ABS-CBN, which formerly utilized the channel 3 space in Mega Manila from the network’s 1953 inception until its reassignment to channel 2 in 1969.
Since then, it has not been awarded to any other network.
ABS-CBN FRANCHISE REVIVAL IN CONGRESS
In recent weeks, the revival of ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise has been a hot topic in the House of Representatives, where five bills had been previously submitted.
Last Wednesday, February 5, a briefing was also conducted by the Committee on Legislative Franchises, where it discussed the recent study of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) regarding the state of the free TV industry following the shutdown of ABS-CBN in 2020.
The PCC report indicated that the market has become highly concentrated, with GMA Network dominating the landscape with a 92.8% market share in 2020 — a leap from its 44% share (versus ABS-CBN’s 51% share) in 2019.
In the same meeting, the National Telecommunications Commission also confirmed that there are still available frequencies for ABS-CBN, should the Congress grant the company another franchise.
In response, ABS-CBN issued a statement, which partly read, “The biggest loss has been our ability to reach our former audiences and the farthest and poorest in the country.“
“If restoring our franchise allows us to reach them again and provide more options to all viewers, and if Congress feels this is a worthwhile objective, [then] we would fully support the achievement of this shared ambition,” it added.
ABS-CBN FRANCHISE DEBACLE
In 2020, the Kapamilya network faced a major crisis when its legislative franchise to operate free-to-air stations on television and radio was not renewed by Congress.
It was served a cease-and-desist order by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in May of that year, which affected its flagship channel 2 in Mega Manila, radio stations MOR and DZMM.
In July that year, 70 lawmakers voted to deny ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal application, while 11 rejected the motion.
That led to a major retrenchment exercise in the company by August of that year, with staffers in multiple departments like Current Affairs, Sports, Regional, and subsidiaries like KidZania affected.
Another blow to the network was the NTC’s recall order of frequencies it once operated, which were later reassigned by the commission to ALLTV, Aliw Broadcasting Network, and SMNI in early 2022.
Since then, ABS-CBN has largely pivoted into a content creation powerhouse, inking partnerships with multiple partners in television and streaming media.