Before One News: A Look Back on AksyonTV, 5’s Failed Attempt at a News Channel

AksyonTV was the first 24/7 Filipino language news channel, but financial losses led to its transformation into T5N’s complement channel. (Logo courtesy of The 5 Network)

Next week will herald a new chapter for News5.

On May 28, the news division of The 5 Network (T5N), along with The Philippine Star and BusinessWorld, will launch One News, a 24/7 English language news channel exclusive to Cignal. But before the fireworks take place, here is a look back at 5’s former news channel AksyonTV.

AksyonTV was launched on February 21, 2011, and was initially billed by 5 as the first 24/7 Filipino language news channel on free TV. During its first few years of operation, AksyonTV filled its programming lineup with simulcasts from Radyo5 92.3 News FM, as well as original programs exclusive to the network and other shows that also air on then-TV5.

Over the next several years, however, AksyonTV slowly drifted away from its original purpose and was rendered irrelevant by television think-tanks. The gradual decline of AksyonTV can be attributed to the following factors:

• Overspending

When AksyonTV was first launched the MVP Group was on a spending tear, pooling all their resources in hopes of making TV5 competitive and at par with long-time giants ABS-CBN and GMA. However, they failed to account the poor reach and infrastructure of the network, leading to financial losses and consequently, this next factor.

• News5’s Problems

In order to cut its losses, News5 elected to cancel original AksyonTV programs and focused more on 5’s newscasts and radio programs. However, News5 was soon hampered by the departure of numerous top talents and the downsizing of its staff, affecting not only AksyonTV but also 5 overall, leading to this next factor.

• Arrival of Sports and Entertainment Shows

The lack of any original news programming forced 5 to reformat AksyonTV into a complement channel of T5N, adding ESPN5 programs, entertainment shows and TV shopping to the menu. The change in AksyonTV’s content also led to the launch of Bloomberg Philippines, which eventually morphed into One News.

Overall, AksyonTV was not a bad attempt by News5 in terms of operating a news channel. But had the network improved its reach and infrastructure, AksyonTV might have remained competitive and viable alongside the likes of GMA News TV, DZMM TeleRadyo, CNN Philippines and the ABS-CBN News Channel.

Unfortunately, with the launch of One News next week, it is clear that AksyonTV has outlived its usefulness. One can only hope that 5 will do something about AksyonTV in the immediate future, whether it is rebranding the network or selling it to other broadcast outfits.

Cignal Steps In for Incapable TV5

The lack of an entertainment division on TV5 has forced its affiliates to pick up the slack.

Satellite subscription service Cignal recently launched its entertainment division, with the intent towards distributing content to its online and satellite television platforms. The newly-launched Cignal Entertainment will kick things off with the mini-series ‘Tukhang’.

The two-episode pilot will air July 22 on Colours and Sari-Sari Channel. It will star James Blanco, Karel Marquez, Mon Confiado, Jake Macapagal, Janna Victoria, Butch Francisco, Yul Servo, Archi Adamos, Jerould Aceron and Zandra Summer.

Cignal Entertainment will also have a few other offerings in store for its subscribers. They are:

Born Beautiful – The sequel to the critically-acclaimed movie ‘Die Beautiful’, it will star Christian Bables as Barbs. The story will pick up from the time Trisha (Paolo Ballesteros) died.

The Orbiters – This original series will star Cedrick Juan, Malak So, Bob Jbeili and Victor Anastacio. It will be directed by Miko Livelo and Dominic Lim.

Sleepless – Another independent film that is being transformed into a television series, it will star Albie Casino, Mara Lopez, Trina Legaspi, Acey Aguilar, Shaira Mae and Martin Escudero. Directed by Prime Cruz.

Feels Like Forever – An original series that focuses on love and other things that can happen in 24 hours. It will be directed by Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo and Ivan Payawal.

With the exception of ‘Tukhang’, all of Cignal Entertainment’s upcoming series will be produced by The IdeaFirst Company. The company’s president, Perci Intalan, is a former entertainment head at TV5.

The only way to go is up, and as TV5 focuses more on sports, news and imported entertainment shows, Cignal makes sure that the entertainment aspect within the MVP Group will not go down quietly. The division is still young, but with the help of independent producers such as IdeaFirst, all the hard work should be worth it.

Now let’s just hope that the new Cignal Entertainment will not fall from grace the same way TV5’s entertainment division did. This is a prime opportunity for Manny V. Pangilinan to bounce back, so make it count.

‘ABClassics’ is a Hoax: A Message to Mr. Carlo Abellanosa

The old ABC-5 logo during the mid-to-late 90s. (Logo courtesy of ABC Development Corporation via Wikia Logos)

Disclaimer: This article is written in response to Mr. Carlo Abellanosa’s absurd and preposterous comments regarding TV5’s current state of programming. The views and opinions of this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of TV5, Manny V. Pangilinan, or the MVP Group of companies.

Since 2010, TV5 has been the property of media and telecommunications mogul Manny V. Pangilinan. The station has had some glimpses of success, but they still cannot escape their standing as the ‘No. 3 network’.

In fact, the station’s standing has remained the same since the MVP takeover, mainly due to its frequent airings of reruns and Tagalized foreign films, constant programming and timeslot changes, and big-budget signings that failed to meet expectations.

With another programming revamp set to take place in early 2015, it is clear that even with the deep pockets of the MVP Group, TV5 continues to be a work in progress. And for some, the feeling of desperation and impatience is increasingly obvious.

Just ask Mr. Carlo Abellanosa.

Carlo, a.k.a. Eririn on the From the Tube comment boards, recently made a suggestion that did not sit well with myself, fellow blogger Timow Paragas, and other readers of this blog. He suggested that classic ABC-5 programs would be re-aired on TV5 under the name ‘ABClassics’, even going as far as saying that the said block would have its own channel in the near future.

Let us clarify Carlo’s claims. First of all, ‘ABClassics’ DOES NOT EXIST. Contrary to what Carlo said in one of his posts, TV5 DID NOT make any statement, let alone announce anything with regards to ‘ABClassics’.

Second, it will be very ridiculous and unreasonable for MVP and his group if they were to bring back old ABC-5 programs from the Cojuangco years. TV5 has definitely moved on, and re-airing old programming from ABC-5 doesn’t make any sense.

And finally, it is possible that the archives from the Cojuangco regime are no longer within TV5’s grasp. This should explain why ‘Wow Mali’, a holdover from the ABC-5 era, airs only archival footage from as far back as 2011 under the ‘Wow Muli’ segment.

To the loyal readers and followers of From the Tube, this should bring a valuable lesson to all of you. If possible, write your comments that are informative, factual and logical. Never comment something that is contradicting, unrelated and deceiving.

And to Mr. Carlo Abellanosa, if you don’t have anything to say that is factual and logical, STAY AWAY FROM THIS BLOG!!! Let this be a humbling experience to a hoaxer like you.

ABS-CBN, TV5 Share Coverage of Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup

The broadcast rights for Gilas Pilipinas games in the upcoming FIBA World Cup will be shared by ABS-CBN and TV5. (Photo credit: PhilStar.com)

Solar Sports and Basketball TV are the main Philippine broadcasters of the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Meanwhile, rival networks ABS-CBN and TV5 will share the free TV coverage of the event.

On Wednesday, July 30, ABS-CBN Sports announced their schedule of games for the upcoming FIBA World Cup on their Facebook account. The list of games on both ABS-CBN 2 and ABS-CBN Sports+Action include those of the United States men’s basketball team, as well as Gilas Pilipinas national team. The said network will also air the knockout games that would lead up to the medal rounds.

TV5 will also have the rights to the FIBA World Cup, but they will only air the games of the Gilas Pilipinas team. Per the set-up made by both parties and Solar Sports, TV5 will air the Gilas games live while ABS-CBN Sports will follow suit on a delayed basis.

The announcement of both networks caused confusion and uncertainty when it was first reported back in June. TV5 even went as far as saying that the games of Gilas Pilipinas will be EXCLUSIVELY aired on the network, a ‘fact’ even confirmed by Gilas head coach and Sports5 management director Chot Reyes on Twitter.

But according to an article on Spin.ph, it was ABS-CBN Sports who were first awarded the free TV rights to the FIBA World Cup. It was only after Gilas qualified for the World Cup that Solar decided to strike another deal with TV5.

This was indeed a false advertising move by TV5. By insisting that their coverage of the Gilas matches in the Worlds would be exclusive, and not knowing about rival ABS-CBN’s own coverage, they simply alienated viewers and made fools out of their own management. In the end, they replaced their previous advertisements in favor of modified versions.

The truth is, Solar’s decision to simultaneously award both networks only intensified a fierce rivalry between the Lopez Group and the MVP Group. While their rivalry has been well-established in the corporate world, the two parties took their feud to a whole new level, simply because of Gilas Pilipinas.

Let’s just hope that both networks will work together to deliver a consistent and well-produced coverage of the national team’s matches. After all, the fans only expect nothing but the best for Gilas Pilipinas, and the coverage of their games is essential towards maintaining that support.