MVP, Cabangon ink TV content deal

MANILA, Philippines — Business titan Manuel V. Pangilinan’s broadcast venture is going all-out in expanding its portfolio and presence, signing a content distribution agreement with the company that used to operate CNN Philippines.

Pangilinan-led MediaQuest Holdings Inc. and TV5 Network Inc. yesterday said that they signed a content distribution, sales and marketing agreement with Cabangon-owned Nine Media Corp.

The deal formalizes the launch of RPTV, the newest free TV channel in the Philippines centered on sports, news and entertainment shows.

RPTV will use the airtime agreement between Nine Media and Radio Philippines Network Inc. to air on free TV. For MediaQuest and TV5, this means that they get to widen the outlets where they can show the materials they produce.

MediaQuest president and CEO Jane Basas said the agreement stems from the previous deal that TV5 entered into. TV5 had agreed to share some of its content with the now-defunct CNN Philippines in January, paving the way for EAT Bulaga! and PBA to stream on Channel 9.

“Both parties saw a good opportunity for a more robust collaboration for this unique channel that puts together some of the most sought-after sports and entertainment content MediaQuest has to offer,” Basas said.

Further, TV5 president and CEO Guido Zaballero said Filipinos stand to gain from the launch of RPTV, as it combines TV5’s library of programs with Nine Media’s national reach.

“This agreement brings together TV5 and MediaQuest’s vast library of programs and also Nine Media’s broadcast network access and nationwide reach,” Zaballero said.

RPTV went live last week, replacing CNN Philippines on Channel 9. RPTV is also available on Channel 19 DTT, Channel 18.3 DTT and in more than 300 cable and satellite providers, with an online stream through Cignal Play.

CNN Philippines ended its nine-year run on Philippine TV in January after sustaining around P5 billion in losses. Nine Media, operator of CNN Philippines, also had to let go of about 300 workers.

Globally, newsrooms are laying off journalists one after the other on financial troubles, such as in the US where media institutions such as Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, NBC News and Time all announced staff reductions in January alone.

CNN Philippines served as one of the few English-based channels in the Philippines and aired its content on cable and pay TV.