ABS-CBN to premier movies online, pay TV

MANILA, Philippines — Media giant ABS-CBN Corp. is bringing movies to people’s television screens and mobile gadgets as theaters remain shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said Wednesday new movie releases will be done through pay television and digital channels.

This will help prop up its own revenues and the broader entertainment sector, which has been reeling during the pandemic after most production was halted due to strict lockdowns.

Online movies can be streamed through ABS-CBN’s iWantTFC and KTX.ph, it said. Movies will cost P150 per film, which audiences can stream over a 48 hour period.

“Even if the pandemic has been challenging, it has pushed us to think out of the box. And with the theaters still closed, we thought of ways to reach our audience in different ways,” ABS-CBN Films managing director Olivia Lamasan said in a statement.

ABS-CBN said its maiden offering is the horror film U-Turn on October 30. A digital premiere will also be held on ktx.ph on October 29.

Apart from online, ABS-CBN will air movies on pay-per-view services of ABS-CBN’s SkyCable and the PLDT Group’s Cignal TV, a satellite TV company.

ABS-CBN Films includes Star Cinema, Cinema One Originals, and Black Sheep under its umbrella.