Marking the network’s full-time return to its old home.
At 5:30 am on Friday, January 2, ALLTV signed on for the first time under a new banner as the licensing agreement inked last December by its owner, Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS), Inc., with ABS-CBN Corporation takes effect today.
Under which, the station, including its flagship VHF channel 2 and DTT channel 16 in Mega Manila, are now operating as Kapamilya Channel sa ALLTV2, potting all programs that air on the media giant’s pay TV channel to free-to-air.
Included in the line-up of shows are the ABS-CBN’s top-rating entertainment and news programs such as It’s Showtime, TV Patrol, FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, and ASAP.
Ongoing shows like Roja, What Lies Beneath, and Your Face Sounds Familiar are also joining other Kapamilya programs that are already airing on ALLTV like Rainbow Rumble, Maalaala Mo Kaya, and Rated Korina.
RETURNING TITLES TO FREE TV
The launch of Kapamilya Channel sa ALLTV2 also brings with it a lot of titles that were once seen in the former ABS-CBN channel 2.
Foremost are the dayparts itself—from Primetime Bida and Kapamilya Gold to Yes Weekend, as well as the relaunch of Umaganda and Prime Tanghali after almost six years—viewers were immediately given nostalgia.
The movie block Kapamilya Blockbusters also resumes its free TV broadcast after being made exclusive to cable TV since June 2020. Although, the same films are simulcast on A2Z as Zinema sa Umaga.
Perhaps, the biggest of all comeback goes to The World Tonight, the Philippines’ and Asia’s longest-running English newscast.
After nearly 27 years, the show that has remained only on pay television (via ANC) and online over the years, finally resumes its terrestrial broadcast after it was axed in 1999 following the shift to the Filipino-language late news format.
WAY BACK HOME
The said move also paves the way for the Lopez-owned company’s full-time return to the frequency it once solely operated from 1969 to 1972, and again from 1986 to 2020—with the last one’s shutdown being a direct result of the expiration of its broadcast franchise and the Congress’ refusal of its renewal.
Although, it is not the first time that ABS-CBN shows aired on its former home under the new operator, as since its 2022 launch, AMBS had already been acquiring old shows like Doble Kara and Ngayon At Kailanman and re-aired those daily on ALLTV.
More than a year later, in April 2024, that partnership was strengthened with ABS-CBN and AMBS signing its first licensing agreement that allowed programs on Jeepney TV to return to free TV.
On top of that, the flagship Kapamilya newscast TV Patrol and the variety show It’s Showtime were also the first two flagship programs to be brought back home to channel 2 through that earlier deal.
However, most of the network’s major shows on the primetime and weekend blocks remained part of TV5 during that period, while also being available on A2Z.
But that would change after ABS-CBN and TV5, in early December, revealed the financial issues that would eventually lead them to parting ways, effective January 2.
Nearly two weeks after that, ABS-CBN announced that it struck a deal with ALLTV for the carriage of Kapamilya Channel after settling its obligations with TV5.