ABS-CBN expects DTT business to be profitable next year

MANILA, Philippines – ABS-CBN Corp. expects its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) business to be profitable and its mobile business to break even by next year.

“We see DTT as a profitable line of business next year,” ABS-CBN chief financial officer Aldrin Cerrado said in a briefing.

This, as the company intends to start selling minutes to advertisers on four exclusive channels of its DTT service ABS-CBN TVplus boxes such as DZMM Teleradyo, CINEMO, YEY and KNOWLEDGE Channel, by next year.

“That increases our inventory available for selling of ABS-CBN because we now have additional channels. From an original of Channel 2 and 23 only, we have four more channels we can sell,” Cerrado said.

ABS-CBN pioneered the digital television service in the country through the launch of the TVplus digital box which offers crystal clear picture and sound in February 2015.

Through ABS-CBN’s DTT service TVplus digital box, consumers have a cable-like experience with no monthly fees.

Cerrado said the company expects to sell two million boxes by the end of the year, higher than the initial target of 1.9 million for the year.

“We projected around 1.9 million by end of the year, but when we reduced the price to P1,499, we noticed a good take up of the boxes so, we now estimate it will be about two million boxes by end of the year,” he said.

ABS-CBN has sold more than 1.6 million TVplus boxes as of September.

By next year, the company also sees its mobile business breaking even as the losses are trimmed.