TV Patrol goes online

MANILA, Philippines - TV Patrol can now be seen on-line anytime and anywhere in the Philippines for free.

Log on to www.tvpatrol.abs-cbn.news.com at 6:30 p.m. to catch the live streaming of the Kapamilya network’s news coverage. Those who miss the live telecast can visit the site for episode replays and segment clips.

While watching the news, viewers can chat and interact with anchors and reporters like Zen Hernandez, George Cariño, Jing Castañeda, Niña Corpuz, Ryan Chua, RG Cruz, Dyan Castillejo and Alvin Elchico, who already chatted with thousands of viewers of TV Patrol worldwide last week.

Netizens actively engage in on-line discussions during the chat, deliberating on current issues and reacting to the reports. Through the Internet, the viewing public has found a way to connect with ABS-CBN journalists via chat and there is already a strong clamor to have TV Patrol’s anchors for chat sessions.

ABS-CBN anchors and reporters have truly become multimedia journalists reporting not just on TV but also online via abs-cbnNEWS.com and actively posting updates on their respective Facebook and Twitter accounts. In fact, ABS-CBN anchors like Julius Babao, Karen Davila and Ces Drilon already have thousands of followers on Twitter.

“Twitter makes me closer and connected to those who like my work. They have become my friends. It allows me to give information in real time whether it’s the news or something personal I want to share,” said Karen.

For Julius, social networks like Twitter and Facebook complement his work as a journalist. He gets to interview public figures more easily via Facebook and receives feedback, tips, and even stories directly from viewers.

He says journalists are able to establish a personal connection with viewers through social networking sites. “Some viewers thought broadcast journalists are snubs, but now they see the human side of news anchors and not just regarding them as talking heads.”

The availability of TV Patrol on the Internet is one of the recent changes made when TV Patrol launched its new segments and use of augmented reality technologies that were previously used in the successful news coverage of ABS-CBN, Halalan 2010.