Is AksyonTV becoming TV5’s News TV and S+A?

The baffling saga of AksyonTV continues with the addition of Tagalized American action programs and films. Here is Timow’s Turf with more insight on this issue.

Timow's Turf

AksyonTV turns 6 years old today but it quickly erodes its initial purpose.

SIX YEARS ago today, while viewers are awaiting for GMA News TV’s launch, TV5 jumped in unannounced over Channel 41; AksyonTV, the first news channel on free TV, was born.

They used to air round the clock as a slap of Channel 11’s broken promises to live their mantra, “Oras-oras, alam ko” but karma struck back in 2013 due to cost-cutting measures by the management as well as NTC’s rules and regulations for affiliated free-to-air TV stations.

The identity crisis

The era of being a homogeneous news channel began its decline when AKTV on IBC ended on May 31, 2013 by carrying over their committed sportscasts as they also covered the Sochi Winter Olympics a year after.

Recently, News5’s public affairs programs airing on AksyonTV became merely reruns with no motive to create new episodes. Since last year, EZ Shop…

View original post 209 more words

AksyonTV Ends 24/7 Broadcasts

Once the first 24/7 Filipino language news channel on free TV, AksyonTV ceased its 24/7 airing on December 1.

What was once the first all-Filipino 24-hour news channel on free TV is now a distant memory. AksyonTV decided to sign off at midnight of November 30, a surprising move considering the network’s high expectations from its opening broadcast.

Not a few notice this, but since the programs from the defunct AKTV block on IBC joined AksyonTV, the network found themselves in trouble sustaining a 24/7 news broadcast. And coupled with the lack of revenue being generated alongside TV5, it became obvious that the higher operating costs were to blame for AksyonTV cutting short its on-air operations.

With the end of the 24/7 broadcast, AksyonTV had to say goodbye to re-runs of some of their programs, as well as Radyo5 simulcasts such as ‘Morning Calls’ and ‘Todo Bigay’. Instead they begin their broadcasts on weekdays with a simulcast of TV5’s ‘Good Morning Club‘, before ending it with AksyonTV originals. Then on weekends, they both start and end their broadcasts with the AksyonTV originals.

Even before ceasing the 24/7 broadcasts, some of the programs aired on AksyonTV became victims of the entry of AKTV refugees. The simulcasts of TV5’s T3: Reload and Aksyon ended before the PBA Governors’ Cup, while original programs such as ‘CNN Konek‘ ended before the start of the NCAA season.

AksyonTV’s decision to end its 24/7 broadcast leaves the ABS-CBN News Channel and the Solar News Channel as the only active 24/7 news networks in the country. And considering AksyonTV’s viewership being aimed at the ‘masa’ market, it may be the wise move to do. Now the big question is, what’s next for the suddenly beleaguered news network of Manny V. Pangilinan?