The Filipino Channel: Bringing overseas Pinoys closer to home

While it continues its leadership in the local broadcasting industry, ABS-CBN reinforces its hold as the first Philippine network to bring its entertainment platform and other products and services to overseas Filipinos through The Filipino Channel (TFC).

TFC was established in 1994 in line with the commitment of ABS-CBN to bring news, entertainment and public service to the very doorstep of every Filipino wherever he may be. It was a dream fulfilled for its late chairman emeritus Eugenio Lopez Jr. to serve Filipino communities worldwide.

Today, it is the acknowledged leader in its market, providing premium homegrown entertainment, alongside value-added products and services like telecommunications and remittances, that have enhanced its role as a proactive player in the constantly changing and highly competitive landscape of international broadcasting.

ABS-CBN’s foray into the international market underscored, in no small measure, its reputation as an innovator and trailblazer. It was a project no one before it dared to undertake, but the network, through its subsidiary ABS-CBN Global Ltd., moved on against all odds to attain its primary goal of being of service to every Filipino worldwide.

At the forefront

ABS-CBN chairman and CEO Eugenio Lopez III is at the helm of this journey into the international market. "We have stood at its forefront, constantly making the effort to develop our capabilities to handle materials that come from production, to marketing and distribution, plus all other services in between. In fact, we’ve become a one-stop shop for entertainment, telecommunications requirements and information needs," Lopez says.

In 1994, the ABS-CBN satellite service linked up with PanAmSat’s PAS-2, the world’s first global satellite system reaching 66 percent of the world’s viewing population, including Filipinos in North America. Within a span of five months, TFC was running 24 hours, led by an international edition of TV Patrol, which subsequently became its flagship.

By 1995, the channel had 25,000 paying subscribers, mainly due to a 24-hour uplink on a Hughes satellite G-4, which beamed signals to Filipinos through cable or direct-to-home satellite dishes. TV Patrol was soon being seen in 300,000 Filipino households in the United States.

"TFC showcases variety programming that includes news and current affairs, drama and comedy, musicals and talk shows, travel and sports," says Olivia Finina de Jesus, assistant vice president for Manila operations of ABS-CBN Global Ltd. "It is primarily a powerhouse of ABS-CBN shows, all of which are packaged and programmed under TFC."

Expansion

TFC’s special brand of programming was met with such enthusiasm that it led to its eventual expansion into the continental United States, together with other areas in the Northern Hemisphere.

After close to nine years, TFC – having established the standards for excellence in its field – is all set to go the extra mile by starting operations in yet another continent. Already, an established presence in North America, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, TFC is expected to take Europe by storm come the second half of the year.

To date, over 150,000 households subscribe to the channel, and the subscriber base is expected to post a significant increase once the channel is officially launched in Europe.

While the official launch of TFC in Europe is still in the final stages of development, Filipinos in Italy are already able to see some of what the channel has to offer, De Jesus says.

"For the past six years, we’ve been broadcasting on blocked time on Sei Milano, a free TV channel in Italy," she says. This, of course, left our countrymen asking for more, something that the network gladly acquiesced to.

Programs for OFWs

Apart from shows taken from ABS-CBN’s top-raters, TFC also carries programs that cater specifically to the overseas market, says De Jesus. Having helped establish ABS-CBN’s overseas news bureaus in North America and the Middle East, TFC has been able to come up with localized productions for the overseas markets that it serves.

Examples of these, she says, are community news programs like Balitang America and Balitang Middle East that provide Filipinos in those areas an idea of what goes on in their local communities.

In Balitang Middle East, De Jesus relates that one segment allows OFWs to touch base with the families that they have left behind. An interactive program that was received well was "Kamusta Kabayan" which is aired live in the US and Middle East.

The show serves as a venue for its audience to discuss issues and concerns relevant to their lives as Filipinos away from home. In fact, shows of this nature have been so well-received that they have been picked up by ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) and are now also seen by Philippine viewers.

With a mission to "Bring Filipinos closer to home while making them feel at home," De Jesus refers to TFC’s commitment to bring not just news and entertainment to our countrymen abroad, but to provide value-added services as well, naming projects such as ABS-CBN Global Money Remittance and ABS-CBN Telecom.

"Other local broadcasters have attempted to enter the global market but failed. Only ABS-CBN has endured and credit goes to our subscribers who have recognized that TFC is here to build a lasting relationship with the overseas Filipino by catering to his many needs," affirms De Jesus. "Wherever the Filipino is, TFC will always find ways to be there, too."