MVP: Cignal assessing ABS-CBN proposal to rent channel

MANILA, Philippines — Business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, who heads the PLDT Group of Companies, said his group is assessing an offer made by broadcast giant ABS-CBN Corp. to rent a channel on Cignal TV for the airing of its programs.

Cignal TV, a subsidiary of the PLDT Group’s media and content arm MediaQuest Holdings, may decide on ABS-CBN’s offer this week, Pangilinan said.

“I think that’s currently in discussion between the two. I don’t know where we are, but I know that has been offered not only to us, but also to all the other pay TV operators in the country. I think some of them have already accepted,” Pangilinan said.

“I think Cignal is still assessing. So we should hopefully decide by next week,” he said.

Cignal TV is the biggest and fastest growing pay TV company in the country.

Pangilinan said he is “open” to the proposal, but noted that “there are other factors to consider.”

Pangilinan, however, said there are no discussions at present with respect to a blocktime deal with TV5 Network Inc.

“It’s just pay TV which they offered,” he said.

Pangilinan said in an interview in December last year that TV5 is open, but cautious at the same time to a blocktime deal with ABS-CBN should the franchise renewal of the Lopez-owned broadcast giant not be granted.

ABS-CBN went off the air on May 5 in compliance with a cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) following the expiration of the network’s franchise.

Last Saturday (June 13), ABS-CBN launched the “Kapamilya” channel, which was made available on SKY, Cablelink, G Sat, and most member-cable operators of the Philippine Cable Television Association nationwide.

The channel brought back its popular programs, which stopped airing due to the closure of the network last month.

The cable and satellite TV channels that will carry the Kapamilya channel are owned and operated by other companies and are not covered by the cease and desist order issued by the NTC to ABS-CBN.