ABS-CBN eyes tie-up with Cignal TV

MANILA, Philippines — Media giant ABS-CBN Corp. is in talks with rival Cignal TV for the latter to air some of its TV programs.

The proposed tie-up with Cignal TV, controlled by the PLDT Group, is envisioned to help ABS-CBN widen its audience after being forced off the air on May 5 by the Duterte administration.

PLDT chair and CEO Manuel Pangilinan confirmed to reporters during an online briefing over the weekend ongoing talks with ABS-CBN apart from other pay television operators.

“I think Cignal is still assessing. We should hopefully decide by [this] week,” Pangilinan said, adding that there were no discussions with PLDT’s free-to-air TV platform, TV5.

“I know it has been offered not only to use but other pay TV operators in the country,” he added.

Pangilinan did not elaborate.

However, the talks emerged as ABS-CBN relaunched on Saturday some of its popular entertainment shows, including Ang Probinsyano, on the Kapamilya channel via its own cable service SkyCable and other pay television companies.

Kane Errol Choa, ABS-CBN head of communications, said the broadcast company wanted to widen the reach of the Kapamilya channel.

“Kapamilya Channel is the latest cable and satellite offering of ABS-CBN Corp. The channel is available to cable and satellite operators in the Philippines,” Choa said in a statement.

“As such, we encourage all viewers and subscribers of the various cable and satellite systems of the country to reach out to their operators for information as to the availability of the channel on their service,” he added.