GMA 7 expands reach in Florida

MANILA, Philippines—Television giant GMA Network Inc. continues to expand its reach abroad to help overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) feel a little less lonely by delivering homegrown shows.

In a statement issued Tuesday, GMA said it had signed a deal to have its two international channels—GMA Pinoy TV and GMA Life TV—in US-based cable provider Bright House Networks’ lineup of channels in five counties in the state of Florida.

“Initially made available in select areas since 2005, GMA Pinoy TV is fast becoming the preferred channel of Filipinos in the United States,” the company said.

The company said GMA Pinoy TV had a global subscriber base of about 1.8 million international viewers, or around 274,000 subscriptions, at the end of last year.

GMA Life TV, in turn, had about 125,000 subscribers, or 800,000 viewers, worldwide, the company said.

The company said its recent expansion meant that the two channels were now available in Central Florida counties including Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia.

“We are excited that we now have the chance to reach out to Filipino-American viewers in Central Florida via Bright House Networks. We are honored to share with them our highly innovative and top-rating ‘Kapuso’ programs through GMA Pinoy and GMA Life TV,” GMA vice president and GMA International operations head Joseph Francia said.

“We look forward to a successful partnership with Bright House Networks in serving the Filipino-American community in this part of the US,” he added.

Bright House Networks is the sixth-biggest owner and operator of cable systems in the United States and the second-largest in Florida. It serves more than 2.4 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services.

Earlier this month, GMA said its 2010 net income reached P2.8 billion in 2010, representing an increase of only P2.5 million, or 0.1 percent, over the previous year’s level. Similarly, its revenue for 2010 increased to about P14.3 billion, representing an increment of about P500 million, the company said.