NEWS
TV bloodbath in the Philippines continues; NTC goes after ABS-CBN’s Sky Direct, TV Plus
30 June 2020
ABS-CBN’S franchise nightmare escalated today, with additional cease-and-desist orders that blow pay-TV satellite platform Sky Direct off the media map along with ABS-CBN’s digital broadcast on the TVPlus platform in Metro Manila. The orders are effective immediately and the services will go dark tonight (30 June).
The order does not impact Sky Cable's cable and broadband services, which will continue to run as normal, ABS-CBN's Sky Cable Corporation said this evening, saying that it plans to "exhaust all legal remedies to resume our [satellite and digital] services".
The statement cleared up confusion that reigned late this afternoon about what exactly was covered under the new order, and whether this meant regional and international channels lose their cable as well as their satellite berth on a major player in Southeast Asia.
The Sky Direct satellite platform, which has a provisional authority to operate until 2021, services about 1.5 million subscribers nationwide, including in remote areas reachable only by satellite.
Following its 5 May cease-and-desist order that took national network ABS-CBN off air, the country’s National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) appears hell bent on going after additional parts of ABS-CBN’s embattled media empire.
The order to pull the plug on the TVPlus platform takes down Cine MO!, Yey! and TeleRadyo and pay-per-view channel KBO, all of which are part of ABS-CBN's long-running initiative to build digital assets.
The NTC claimed today that these services were covered by its original 5 May cease-and-desist order.
Almost two months after the original cease and design order, the NTC today asserted that Sky Cable's franchise also expired on 4 May 2020.
In tonight's statement, Sky Cable Corp said "in the spirit of fairness, we continue to appeal to the NTC to extend the same privilege given in the past to other companies whose franchises have expired but are currently pending in Congress to continue its operations until a resolution is passed."
The company promised to refund all unconsumed prepa...
ABS-CBN’S franchise nightmare escalated today, with additional cease-and-desist orders that blow pay-TV satellite platform Sky Direct off the media map along with ABS-CBN’s digital broadcast on the TVPlus platform in Metro Manila. The orders are effective immediately and the services will go dark tonight (30 June).
The order does not impact Sky Cable's cable and broadband services, which will continue to run as normal, ABS-CBN's Sky Cable Corporation said this evening, saying that it plans to "exhaust all legal remedies to resume our [satellite and digital] services".
The statement cleared up confusion that reigned late this afternoon about what exactly was covered under the new order, and whether this meant regional and international channels lose their cable as well as their satellite berth on a major player in Southeast Asia.
The Sky Direct satellite platform, which has a provisional authority to operate until 2021, services about 1.5 million subscribers nationwide, including in remote areas reachable only by satellite.
Following its 5 May cease-and-desist order that took national network ABS-CBN off air, the country’s National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) appears hell bent on going after additional parts of ABS-CBN’s embattled media empire.
The order to pull the plug on the TVPlus platform takes down Cine MO!, Yey! and TeleRadyo and pay-per-view channel KBO, all of which are part of ABS-CBN's long-running initiative to build digital assets.
The NTC claimed today that these services were covered by its original 5 May cease-and-desist order.
Almost two months after the original cease and design order, the NTC today asserted that Sky Cable's franchise also expired on 4 May 2020.
In tonight's statement, Sky Cable Corp said "in the spirit of fairness, we continue to appeal to the NTC to extend the same privilege given in the past to other companies whose franchises have expired but are currently pending in Congress to continue its operations until a resolution is passed."
The company promised to refund all unconsumed prepaid loads and advance postpaid payments.
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