Against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate.
On Monday, August 17, media giant ABS-CBN Corporation reported its financial performance for the first half of 2026, which covers the months of January until June.
According to the company, consolidating the performance of its two business segments—Content Production and Distribution and Cable TV and Broadband—it recorded a revenue of PHP6.880 billion during the period, which is 17% lower than the same period, when it recorded PHP8.275 billion.
The consolidated operating expenses, meanwhile, improved by 5%, or PHP482 million, to PHP8.46 billion.
However, the important number is the consolidated net loss that the company had during the said months, which was PHP1.83 billion, a 115% increase versus PHP852 million it logged during H1 2025.
Delving into their core Content Production and Distribution business, it generated PHP5.76 billion in revenue for the first half of 2026, which 9% lower than the same period last year when it posted P6.355 billion.
Setting aside political advertising and one-off items in both years, the segment’s recurring net loss showed a 1% improvement, while its expenses were also relatively flat compared to the same period in 2025.
As regards to the Content Production and Distribution segment’s EBITDA, it was -P509 million, compared to P190 million it posted in H1 2025.
It should be noted that during H1 2026, ABS-CBN’s partnership with TV5 Network, Inc. was temporarily halted from January 2 to June 21, 2026, following the termination of their prior agreement on New Year’s Day.
However, programs were shifted over to ALLTV2, which now carries nearly the entire day’s programming of the network.
Capital expenditures and program rights acquisitions also totaled PHP289 million for the period ended June 30, 2026.
“The decrease in total revenues compared to the prior year reflects the political advertising recorded in 2025, for which there was no corresponding revenue in the current period, together with the effect of global economic and geopolitical developments, lower domestic economic growth and weak consumer sentiment,” the company further explained.
They also noted that they produced fewer movies and major events in the first half of 2026 compared to same period last year.
In 2025, revenues were boosted by BINI’s sold-out concert at the BINIverse World Tour kick off in tge Philippine Arena and the strong performance of the movie My Love Will Make You Disappear, which raked in about P173 million in the box-office.
Although, ABS-CBN said that part of the decline was covered by higher consumer sales and the growth in international syndication and co-productions.
It was in May when Star Cinema released Tayo Sa Wakas starring Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano.
Meanwhile, BINI’s Signals world tour kicked off in June—more than a month after the group’s debut at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April.
“The tour runs through the second half, and the rest of the film and live events slate is still to come. Revenues are expected to improve over the balance of the year,” they added.
However, the Cable TV and Broadband segment accounted for most of the revenue drop, with this unit PHP11 million in EBITDA in H1 2026, which is a 97% decrease from P378 million during the same period last year.
Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2026 totaled PHP1.12 billion, a 42% decrease from the same period in 2025, primarily due to the continued decline in the cable television subscriber base.
Thus, this segment reported a net loss of PHP594 million for the six months ended June 30, 2026, compared with a net loss of PHP317 million in the same period in 2025.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
ABS-CBN, in the past week, announced that it will have a total of PHP6 billion in fresh equity, with investments coming from the firms ownned three branches of the Lopez family, as well as the mothership Lopez, Inc., and a private investment firm identified as I&C Holdings Corporation.
It was also toward the end of the first half when the network premiered the drama series Sigabo starring Coco Martin and Julia Montes, which it previously stated in its Q1 quarterly report to help stabilize its financial performance on the lucrative primetime block throughout the rest of the year.
Ptograms from TV5, including Face To Face With Ate Koring, My Bespren Emman, and A Secret In Prague, began airing on ABS-CBN platforms from June 29.
