A revival of the AKTV brand on Channel 41, plus a new News5 Network on Cignal, should solve the identity crisis of AksyonTV. (Logo courtesy of TV5)
The time for AksyonTV to spin off into two separate channels is now.
The past few months saw AksyonTV increase its emphasis on sports coverage. Just recently, Sports5 acquired broadcast rights to the FilSports Basketball Association, the Philippine Commercial Basketball League*, the League of Legends World Championship, and the International Premier Tennis League.
This, in addition to existing broadcast rights to leagues such as the Philippine Super Liga, the United Football League and the Women’s National Collegiate Athletics Association, gives AksyonTV a more sports-oriented lineup than in past years. Further proof of the network’s ongoing evolution is the presence of instructional segments such as ‘TiuTorials’ and ‘Power Tips’, as well as other sporting highlights.
But while AksyonTV is now focusing more on sports, news programming remained a constant presence. Simulcasts of Radyo5 programs, TV5 newscasts and public affairs programming continue to air on the said network, as it has been the case since 2011.
The increasing imbalance between news and sports programming on AksyonTV should be a cause of concern to News5 and Sports5 heads Luchi Cruz-Valdes and Chot Reyes, respectively. As AksyonTV moves further and further into sports coverage, it is clear that they need to make a change.
Remember the AKTV block on IBC-13? Perhaps TV5 should revive the AKTV brand, and place it on free TV channel 41, in order to give ABS-CBN Sports+Action a run for their money.
If TV5 can improve that channel’s signal, AKTV-41 should pose a challenge to ABS-CBN’s free TV sports-oriented channel. That is a big if, since Sports+Action has the bigger sporting events such as the UAAP, NCAA and NBA to back it up.
As for the news half of AksyonTV, the best possible solution is to turn it into a Cignal-exclusive channel. Perhaps the name News5 Network (N5N) could fit the bill.
That channel should be News5’s answer to DZMM TeleRadyo and ABS-CBN News Channel, as far as Cignal subscribers are concerned. Focusing mostly on Radyo5 simulcasts, TV5 newscasts, and even Digital5 exclusives should be the said network’s priority.
That said, the identity crisis on AksyonTV needs an immediate solution. Splitting it into two separate channels should benefit both News5 and Sports5 in the long term.
One can only hope that TV5 can make the right decision on their UHF counterpart. After all, they don’t want Channel 41 to look so cluttered.
*AksyonTV has dropped the PBA simulcasts on TV5 since the start of the 2015-16 season, in favor of airing the FBA and PCBL.
From the Tube 
I commend you for making such an article. MVP may have a lot of money, so why not he use these to air a news channel and sports channel separately on his Cignal?
Indeed. AksyonTV is becoming more sports-oriented, and with it, their news programming suffers. They were once the first 24/7 Filipino-language free TV news channel, but it’s now a distant memory.
Reviving AKTV on Channel 41 and introducing a new News5 Network on Cignal could solve this logjam.
Fitting enough, I marked “JEERS” to AksyonTV for favoring such sportscast over the recently-concluded APEC Leader’s Meeting. 😡
Strata 2000 did a good job and so was Shaw Boulevard and Visayas Avenue.
Thing is, the name AksyonTV doesn’t apply anymore. Bringing back AKTV on Channel 41 would be more appropriate to the predominantly sports-oriented lineup they have now.
I agree on what everything says here in this article. If TV5 will put a News5Network on Cignal, perhaps we can compare the format of programming on that channel to Ireland’s RTE News Now. Which consists of tv simulcasts of its radio programs and its tv newscasts as well.
Exactly. The way I see it, they really need to separate AksyonTV into two channels, just to put an end to this confusion.
To give you an idea on what do I mean (for a News5Network), watch this:
Nga-nga din ang plano na i-simulcast ang piling shows ng Bloomberg sa AksyonTV….
Like I said, hindi bagay ang business news at stock market reports sa mga masa. And since AksyonTV is catered to the masses, simulcasting Bloomberg PH is next to impossible, considering its target audience.
Not to mention the increased emphasis on sports, so mukhang hindi na rin mangyayari ang simulcast.
Agreed. “Aksyon TV” doesn’t even remotely sound like a name for a news channel anyways. I get that they wanted “brand consistency”, but in this case, it doesn’t seem to be thought out well.
They used to be a news channel, but now their programming is dominated by sporting events. They even dropped Aksyon Breaking just for these sports.
Splitting the channel into two seems like a better idea for them at this point.
Looks like I’m getting a sense of mismanagement and lack of focus because of that newfound genre swap.
Maybe because MVP is more of a sports person?
Probably yes. You can see him in Ateneo, San Beda and Gilas games, as well as those of his Talk N Text, Meralco and NLEX franchises in the PBA. MVP is considered a patron to those teams, bankrolling them to build competitive units.
His commitment to sports is undeniable, though there were some mishaps along the way, such as the failed AKTV block on IBC, as well as the forgettable three-year stint of the NCAA on Sports5. Other than that, he remains as aggressive as ever in trying to promote sports to the country.
That reflects on how AksyonTV (or better yet, AKTV-41) is becoming at this point.
Out of topic: Mukhang ginagaya na ng News5 ang ginawa ng GMA Public Affairs na magproduce ng mga pure-entertainment shows, dahil iprepremiere na sa linggo ang bagong game show na “Barangay Utakan”.
Although entertainment show siya, it’s expected na news-related ang mga items na itatanong nila, unlike sa GMA Public Affairs where they produce teleseryes that don’t relate with news stories.
Aksyon TV is enough to say, “needs other entertainment programs like what GNTV do” to have have gain more viewers. But not movies and dramas , If you are agree in my suggestion.
To be honest, TV5 will not be foolish to follow in the footsteps of the ever-criticized GMA News division. If they did that, it could alienate their audience a lot more.
Para malaman mo kung paano magpatakbo ng news channel, tumutok ka sa ANC. Kung walang cable, may CNN Philippines naman. May nakikita ka bang mga pelikula at drama sa parehong channel? WALA. Kahit ang ang mga kilalang news channel sa buong mundo, hindi gagawa ng ganyan. GMA News TV lang ang alam kong gagawa ng ganyan.
Indeed. A true news channel is always about news and nothing else. That’s not the case for the news channels of Gozon and MVP.