action, Philippines, suspense, television, United States

Jack TV, FOX Philippines Battle for Heroes Reborn

A bidding war between Jack TV and FOX Philippines over ‘Heroes Reborn’ has left viewers of both networks perplexed, even though the former will air the series much earlier. (Photo credit: Solar Entertainment/Jack TV Official Facebook)

Two cable channels are now fighting for the right to air ‘Heroes Reborn’.

Jack TV and FOX Philippines have announced that they will both broadcast ‘Heroes Reborn’ via satellite starting tomorrow. The premiere broadcast of ‘Heroes Reborn’ on both channels will be as follows:

  • Jack TV – 11:00 a.m.
  • FOX Philippines – 11:35 a.m.

‘Heroes Reborn’ is a 13-episode miniseries that picks up from where the original series ‘Heroes’ left off. In the U.S., the mini-series will air on NBC, the same home network as the original.

The original ‘Heroes’ first saw the light of day in the Philippines when it was aired on RPN-9 via its Prime Shift and C/S 9 branding. The series ran from 2006 to 2010 and spanned four seasons.

Just recently, all episodes of the original ‘Heroes’ were re-aired on FOX Philippines, who also intend to air ‘Heroes Reborn’. However, Jack TV, a former sister station of RPN-9, also made their own case on the upcoming miniseries, and as a result, a bidding war began between the two networks.

The program rights battle between Solar Entertainment and FOX International Channels is no longer new. There have been instances of one program being aired on each of the company’s channels; for example, Jack TV and FOX Philippines have the rights to ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’, among other programs, with the difference being that the former airs the current season and the latter the previous seasons.

That said, it’s hard to fathom the fact that two cable networks will premiere the same program at almost the same time. It is also confusing, because the viewers will find it hard to choose which channel to watch.

Perhaps the time has come for Solar’s Wilson Tieng and FOX International’s Jude Turcuato to settle this issue once and for all. The similarities between the two outfits should not go a little too far by airing the same program almost simultaneously, so they have to figure out a way to differentiate themselves according to content.

Let’s just hope that they work out a deal in the near future. After all, this is for the best interests of the viewer.

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cable TV, entertainment, Philippines, television

Jeepney TV Displaces Fox Filipino on Destiny Cable

Jeepney TV will be seen on Destiny Cable beginning August 15, replacing Fox Filipino. (Photo credit: Destiny Cable)

Bad news to all throwback Kapuso fans subscribing to Destiny Cable.

Beginning August 15, Jeepney TV will be seen on Destiny Channel 9 for digital subscribers, and Channel 41 for analog subscribers. The channel will replace Fox Filipino, which will remain on Channel 41 on analog and Channel 211 on digital until August 14.

Jeepney TV is a cable TV channel owned by ABS-CBN subsidiary Creative Programs, Inc. The channel specializes on classic ABS-CBN programs dating from the ‘Star Network’ era to the present, as well as throwback movies and imported series that aired on ABS-CBN and its sister networks.

Jeepney TV’s main competitor is Fox Filipino, a channel owned by the Fox International Channels Philippines. The channel also specializes on throwback programming, but it mainly airs programs from ABS-CBN’s arch-rival GMA Network.

Logically, the addition of Jeepney TV and subsequent displacement of Fox Filipino only served to heighten the already heated rivalry between the two network giants. SkyCable and Destiny definitely has some clear intentions as to why they only want their lineup to be as Kapamilya-centric as possible.

Those who will be affected by the displacement of Fox Filipino may switch to Cignal, Dream Satellite, G Sat and Cablelink in order to continue enjoying the programs on the said channel.  In the meantime, classic Kapamilya programs will now be seen on Destiny Cable in a few weeks, so good luck with that.

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