The Phl TV broadcasting industry
According to the Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis, Incorporated latest Industry Trends, the country’s television broadcasting industry has grown considerably in reach and structure since its inception in the Philippines. According to the National Telecommunications Commission, 1,637 TV broadcast stations were operating in the country as of 2012. Of this sum, 388 were TV stations; 48 were TV relay stations; 55 were TV translator stations; and 1,136 were cable television stations. In terms of distribution by island group, Metro Manila has 71 TV stations (all types), Luzon, 871 stations; Visayas, 346 TV stations, and; Mindanao, 349 TV stations.
The communications sector, which includes television programming and broadcasting activities, decelerated to 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2014 from 7.6 percent during the same period in 2013. The Q2 2014 figure is also lower than the first quarter’s 5.5 percent growth. The sector’s gross-value added amounted to Php86.14 billion in Q2 2014, Php81.93 billion in Q1 2014, Php86.53 billion in Q4 2013.
On a bi-annual basis, the industry GVA grew 3.7 percent year-on-year to Php168.07 billion in the first six months of 2014. The first half of 2013 registered GVA of Php162.02 billion, up 3.9 percent from the comparable period in 2012. The sector’s implicit price index has been experiencing year-on-year growths, with prices edging up by 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2014. Prices have been rising year-on-year by 0.6 percent in Q1 2013, by 0.2 percent in Q2 2013, by 0.7 percent in Q3 2013 and remained unchanged for Q4 2013 and Q1 2014.
According to the 2012 Census of Philippine Business and Industry – covering establishments with more than 20 employees – reveals that television programming and broadcasting activities employ an average of 170 workers per establishment. This is slightly higher than the industry average of 162 employees. The survey also shows that workers in television programming and broadcasting activities earn an average of Php735,082 annually – only second to wired telecommunications with average annual compensation of Php1.2 million.
Per IDEA, the Philippines is deemed to have one of the freest media in all of Asia. Under the Bill of Rights (Article III, Section 4), the Constitution guarantees that, “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”
There is no anti-trust legislation pertaining to the media in the Philippines, and passing one is not among the priorities of the government. Currently, media ownership remains largely under the control of very few corporations and families with the most profitable media agencies, and in some cases, have acquired majority cross-ownership of print, radio and television agencies.
Only three companies in the TV programming and broadcasting industry made it to the top 10,000 Philippine corporations in 2012, garnering combined revenue of Php31.65 billion. The top earner in the industry was ABS-CBN Corp., followed by GMA Network, Inc. and finally ABC Development Corp, according to the researchers of IDEA.
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