It was a move that was original planned for late last year.
In the rolling ticker displayed in the lower thirds of the screen of the pay television channel BuKo, it announced that it will be ceasing its operations soon.
As per the details provided, the country’s only 24/7 comedy-oriented channel that airs on Cignal TV’s ch. 2, will be going off the air on August 1, 2026.
It, however, announced that the shows currently seen on BuKo will be transferred to the Kapatid Channel on Cignal TV ch. 15, which has been airing a mix of archived shows from TV5 and other channels within the MediaQuest ecosystem since its launch in December 2025.
IN A “COCO-NUTSHELL”
BuKo was launched back in October 2021, nearly two years after the partnership between Cignal and content provider APT Entertainment was inked in 2019.
The said 5-year contract to develop the channel included plans to air old clips from the country’s longest-running variety show Eat Bulaga, specifically Little Miss Philippines, which at that time was still under TAPE, Inc. and broadcast by GMA Network.
At launch, however, shows that aired include productions from APT, as well as Cignal’s sister company TV5.
The list includes H3O: Hahaha Over (originally from QTV 11, with Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, and Gladys Guevarra), TV5’s Pidol’s Wonderland (with Dolphy), Lokomoko, and Wow Mali, and even GMA’s Bubble Gang.
The original Iskul Bukol (with Tito, Vic, and Joey) is also part of the classics block.
Original shows were also created for the channel, such as Kusina ni Mamang (hosted by Pokwang) and #MaineGoals (with Maine Mendoza).
Aside from situational comedy and gag shows, pandemic gameshows Fill in the Bank (with Jose Manalo and Pokwang) and Bawal na Gameshow (with Paolo Ballesteros and Wally Bayola), as well as the 2004 drama series Leya were all reaired on BuKo.
In the years that followed, the channel also served as an additional platform for TV5 and Cignal shows, with simulcasts of Eat Bulaga (E.A.T. era), Wil To Win, and Vibe, among other shows, also airing on BuKo.
RECENT MOVES
It will be the latest channel to be wound down by the Philippines’ largest pay TV provider.
In recent months alone, Cignal has ended channels such as WilTV — a partnership with TV host producer Willie Revillame — and the Sari-Sari Channel, which was its tie-up with Viva Communications.
Cignal also confirmed that True TV, which is operated by its sister company Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), will also end its run in the same month as BuKo.