In the Philippines, digital television broadcasts can be received through digital cable and direct broadcast satellite. Digital terrestrial television (DTT) services are in development by the major broadcasting companies of the Philippines.

The Philippines uses the American NTSC standard for analog television since color television arrived in November 1966. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) announced in June 2010 that the Philippines would use the Japanese ISDB-T standard for digital television, and issued a circular stating that the country’s broadcasters must discontinue their analog services by the transition deadline of 11:59 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time, UTC+8) on December 31, 2015. But due to delay of the release of the implementing rules and regulations for digital television broadcast, the target date was moved on 2020 or April 30, 2023. The commission will be using the ultra-high frequency television channels from 14 to 51 (470-698 MHz) for DTT broadcast service and deliberating channels 14 to 20 (470-512 MHz) which is being used for fixed and mobile services. However, before the announcement, several broadcasters performed trial broadcasts using the European DVB-T standard.

Preparation for the transition to digital television commenced with an issuance of Executive Order 546, series of 1979 and Republic Act 3846 or the Radio Control Law as amended by the local governing body for broadcast services, the NTC adopted the said order to promulgate rules and regulations in order to facilitate the entry of digital broadcast services in the Philippines and implement a specific standard for the delivery of DTT services. Subsequently organizing two technical working groups for the purpose of directing the governing body in the selection of appropriate DTT standard and upon the commendation of investors in the broadcast business, comprising the local broadcasters group, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, and the NTC, issued Memorandum Circular 02-06-2010 on June 11, 2010, implementing the standard for digital terrestrial television broadcast service.

Implementation
Since the early 2000s, studies have been carried out on the country’s digital television transition. A “wait and see” plan is being trailed and examining progresses with no resolution to ensue with digital television services in the Philippines. The NTC chose to use the Japanese standard ISDB-T for digital television in the country in Memorandum Circular 02-06-2010, noting its capability to 3 levels of categorized modulation (audio, video and data services) to fixed, portable and handheld devices exclusive of the necessity for a supplementary communication facility.

In the draft version of the NTC’s proposed regulations for DTV, broadcast companies who intend to provide digital terrestrial television service must have a congressional broadcast franchise before operating such services and have at least 15 television stations throughout the Philippines; have a minimum paid-up capital of ₱1 billion and accessible locally in 10 regions while broadcasting companies with less than the required television stations and availability locally, the minimum paid-up capital will be ₱1.2 billion, whereas new applicants with no present broadcast station, the paid-up capital will be ₱1.5 billion. For those broadcast companies who intend to deliver digital broadcast locally, must procure a congressional franchise and have at least ₱60 million per digital terrestrial television station. Concurring to the commission, the outline of digital technology in the broadcasting service would guarantee the effectiveness of the broadcast business and provide them the prospect to offer superior facilities to end-user. The draft outline as an enactment of the digital technology in the television broadcast is intended to provide greater number of channels, better screen resolution and stereo sounds through a conventional aerial antenna instead of a satellite or cable TV service.

Initially, the commission adopted the European standard DVB-T for digital broadcasting. The broadcast providers adopt either high-definition television format or its standard definition multiprogramming. The draft IRR also states that a duly broadcast provider with a congressional franchise will deliver analog television service and must carry its present analog television programs through its digital terrestrial television service. For digital broadcast provider aiming to offer pay-per-view or restricted access will be required to seek additional permission from the commission. Supplementary services may be permissible, subject to prevailing decrees, acts and laws. The draft rules equally specify the commission shall continue to process new applications for analog television stations up to December 31, 2008 but will no longer approve or authorized to broadcast beyond December 31, 2010 and all certified digital broadcast providers will relinquish their individual analog frequencies upon the termination of its analog television broadcast transmission by 11:59 p.m., December 31, 2015. However, since the last quarter of 2014, the digitization deadline has been postponed to 2019 and should be expected that all analog broadcasts will be shut off on December 31, 2023.
International expansion and increase of cable and UHF networks (1990-2000)
ABS-CBN also organized in 1990, along with Lopez Group, SkyCable, which became instrumental in the growth of cable TV in the country in the 1990s. Channel 2 thus far had more than 40-50% stake auditory in Metro Manila and 70% in the provinces, making it clear that ABS-CBN’s mass programming strategy of Philippine language news, fiction comics, drama anthologies and music programs has become a huge success.

UHF TV channels began to gain ground in that decade, first through SBN 21, established in 1992. The GMA network later entered the UHF landscape through Citynet 27 in 1995, before the entrance of the UHF channel of ABS-CBN itself, Studio 23, in 1996.

In 1992, PTV moved its studios to the former National Media Production Center building on Visayas Avenue, with transmitters and other equipment widely donated from a French government grant, leaving ABS-CBN in the exclusive control of the Transmission Center, which before the end of the 2nd millennium has become the most advanced transmission center in the country.

In the same year, which saw ABS-CBN start international broadcasts, the ABC 5 returned under the direction of Edward Tan, Islands TV 13 reverted to the IBC and GMA Radio Television Arts began its own international expansion, which saw the programs GMA to reach Southeast Asia and in 60 American cities and parts of South America via the International Channel Network – all announced by a rebranding that saw the GMA change its name to GMA Rainbow Satellite Network. 3 years later, in 1995 (GMA’s 45th corporate anniversary), the network name was streamlined for the GMA Network.

ABS-CBN also capped 62% audience share in Metro Manila during that year. In 1993, ABC surpassed PTV as the third place in the audience while in 1994, New Vision 9 reverted to RPN. Channel 5 would be the third place for the next two years.

Among the new popular programs were Sa Linggo N’APO Sila, Maalaala Mo Kaya, Ang TV, Hoy! Gising !, Riles Home, Oki Doki Doc, ASAP, and Mara Clara in ABS-CBN, while GMA had Saksi, SOP, TGIS, GoBingo, Anna Karenina and Startalk.

ABS-CBN’s international expansion went high when it launched The Filipino Channel in 1994 in North America and Asia Pacific. For the next ten years, he would later reach the Middle East, Japan, Australia, and Europe.

Regional expansion also became an important target for the two dominant networks in the 1990s. While the expansion of the GMA depended on the construction of regional stations in remote areas, the expansion of ABS-CBN concentrated on the world class and powerful transmitters with high transmission power of 25 kilowatts. At the end of the 1990s, ABS-CBN reached 97% of all Filipino households.

While comedies, drama anthologies and weekly shows remained popular in the 1990s, daily novels began to gain popularity in the 1990s, particularly in the latter half of the decade. Initially airy in the afternoons, these programs met in prime time after RPN confronted MariMar against TV Patrol for tremendous success, forcing the ABS-CBN to cut the newscast to 30 minutes and move Mara Clara from late to late at 6:30 p.m. The production of the soap opera also changed at a faster pace and reduced the life of the average soap opera.

The success of Mara Clara will soon be followed by Esperanza and Mula sa Put in the ABS-CBN, and Ikaw in Sana in the GMA.

The showbiz talk show (through Showbiz Lingo) and the current affairs program (through Hoy! Gising !, and Magandang Gabi, Bayan) also became one of the most popular genres of programs in that decade. ABS-CBN continued its success series with more hits like Oka Tokat, Wansapanataym, Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis, Pwedeng-Pwede and more.

The IBC formulated its own local programming strategy that managed to turn Channel 13 into third place in 1997, while Marimar’s success at RPN led Channel 9 to become packed with the Emmy-winning canned American series and the top soap operas. Meanwhile, ABC and PTV fell to fifth and sixth place (last place among the six national VHF networks) due to the resurgence of RPN and IBC.

The late-night English-language news remained popular until 1998, when the GMA Network News changed its language to Filipino, increasing its audience ratings and threatening the ABS-CBN’s The World Tonight. The newscast would transfer to the ABS-CBN news network, the ABS-CBN News Channel (established in 1996 as Sarimanok News Network) in 1999, the same year that GMA Network News was ironically canceled.

ZOE TV was launched in 1998 on Channel 11 frequency that was already owned by MBC. It became the new last place in the audience, publishing ratings lower than the PTV, the last station placed before the launch of ZOE TV. In 2005, the station entered into a blocking agreement with the GMA, which saw the season become QTV, aimed at females. He simplified his name to Q in 2007 before closing and was replaced by GMA News TV in 2011.

The decade also saw ABS-CBN expand to movies, music, magazines, cable channels, merchandising and more to create the nation’s largest multimedia content network.

In 1999, the GMA put the anime series against primetime soap operas, comedies and weekly programs of ABS-CBN, a move that managed, despite the continued dominance of Mula sa Puso and Esperanza and later Saan Ka Man Naroroon and Labs ko si Babe. Meanwhile, the noon battle intensified when Magandang Tanghali Bayan in the ABS-CBN defeated Eat Bulaga! in the GMA with its iconic “Pera o Bayong” gaming segment and on Sundays, the GMA SOP has begun to challenge ABS-CBN’s ASAP as the best musical variety show on Sundays.

ABS-CBN also began popularizing the term “Kapamilya” as a brand in 1999 with the slogan “Kapamilya namin, Kapamilya Ninyo, Kapamilya ng Bawat Pilipino”, alongside the iconic “In The Service Of The Filipino.”

The war between ABS-CBN and GMA (2000-2010)
ABS-CBN welcomed the new millennium with the world-wide entertainment news “The ABS-CBN Worldwide Celebration of the New Millennium” organized in three points in Metro Manila (Luneta, The Fort and Quezon City Memorial Circle) and with feeds live at various points across the country and around the world, while GMA has become the Filipino partner of the BBC Today 2000 Worldwide Broadcasting, established primarily in Makati. In the ABS-CBN’s own special, the network also unveiled a revamped version of its logo in time for the new millennium.

The turn of the century saw the emergence of game shows, first on IBC and ABC through Philippine franchises of The Weakest Link, who wants to be a millionaire, Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud. The two major networks, ABS-CBN and GMA, responded with their own games, Game KNB? in ABS-CBN and All-Star K! in the GMA. IBC’s move to franchise international games in 2001 resulted in the network publishing its best results in ratings since 1986.

In the same year, which also saw the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada and the subsequent end of his administration with the Second Revolution of EDSA, PTV became NBN or National Broadcasting Network.

Game KNB? was one of the programs that helped ABS-CBN to maintain its dominance during the early 2000s, along with the extremely successful telenovelas Pangako Sa ‘Yo, Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan, Sa Puso Ko’y Iingatan Ka, Bituin and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay, as well as Whattamen, G-Mik, The Buzz and Tablog Ilog. Pangako Sa ‘Yo, along with Mula sa Puso, was one of the first Filipino novels (which came to be known as “telesery” in the 2000s) to be imported into foreign countries. Pangako Sa ‘Yo, in particular, has become a major success in Asian countries and even in Africa. This marked the beginning of the export of Filipino dramas of ABS-CBN and GMA in several countries, first in Asia, then in Africa, Europe and the Americas.

At the turn of the century, the GMA, under the management of Felipe Gozon, renewed its programming combination to better compete head-on with ABS-CBN. In doing so, he added more soap operas such as Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin and Kung Mawawala Ka, taking a page of the success of ABS-CBN from its relaunch as “Star Network.” The GMA audience jump resulting from this programming change came at the same time as the ABS-CBN suffered financial crisis due to the decline in ad revenue due to the political conflict caused by the Second EDSA Revolution in 2001 and more particularly because of the attacks of September 11th.

In 2002 (15 years after the successful launch of ABS-CBN as “Star Network”), the GMA launched a new logo (replacing the rainbow with a heart but maintaining the iconic colors of the rainbow) such as the GMA, now more driven than ever to emerge as a leader in news and entertainment, has changed as the “Kapuso network.” At that time, ABS-CBN became the number one network for 15 consecutive years and celebrated with the slogan “Ikaw ang No. 1”, which, incidentally, had a heart-shaped logo.

Because of the change in GMA programming, the public of other VHF networks (RPN, IBC, ABC and NBN) have plummeted significantly to their lowest levels in their history.

Talent research shows reappear and reality shows began to gain popularity during the decade that occurred in the GMA StarStruck and Extra Challenge and the ABS-CBN Star Circle Quest. In 2005, ABS-CBN bought the franchise rights to “Pinoy Big Brother”, the Filipino version of the reality show Big Brother, for a strong reception.

Another trend of programming in the 2000s was the emergence of soap operas from South Korea and China, which began when ABS-CBN brought the Taiwanese series Meteor Garden (based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango) to an extreme success. This was followed by Lovers in Paris, Boys Over Flowers and My Girl at ABS-CBN, and Full House, Endless Love and Jewel in the Palace at the GMA. The success of these soap operas won both networks of monikers for their successful series of Asian countries: “The First and True Home of Asanovelas” for ABS-CBN and “The Heart of Asia” for the GMA.

The rivalry reached a very heated peak, however, when ABS-CBN introduced the “fantaserye”, which is a novel with fantasy elements. While ABS-CBN has already experimented with fantasy elements in drama with the weekly Wansapanataym anthology and the 2003 novel Darating ang Umaga, the 2004 novel Marina became the first to be charged as such. Marina, who revolves around a woman with a curse in which she became a mermaid on her seventh birthday, was a tremendous success.

GMA shot in August of that year with Mulawin, who managed to become the first series to win an ABS-CBN drama since 1996 and pushed the GMA’s prominent audience to beat ABS-CBN in the fourth quarter of 2004, helping the GMA to to beat ABS-CBN at the Mega Manila hearing (the largest in the country) for the first time since 1988. Also in that year, the GMA showed 24 Oras, which threatened to dominate TV Patrol as the most watched news that year, forcing TV Patrol to change its name to TV Patrol World in November of that year.

While the GMA won in Mega Manila, ABS-CBN had infrastructure well above its competitor in the regions outside Mega Manila and had already conquered all the Philippine global communities in North America, Asia Pacific, Japan, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia through The Filipino Channel. This meant that ABS-CBN was still the dominant nationwide network, but it was not confirmed yet because there was no national audience measurement survey until 2006 when AGB Nielsen presented the National Urban Television Audience Measurement panel (NUTAM), which then had 1,540 houses in urban areas in the country. The first NUTAM survey had ABS-CBN as the most assisted network across the country.

AGB Nielsen’s National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM) was the first national television audience measurement system in the country. Until 2006, AGB Nielsen provided audience measurements for Mega Manila families only. In the early years, the Philippine Research and Survey Center (PSRC) provided surveys for rankings in several key cities outside of Mega Manila, including until 2002, when AGB Nielsen took over, Cebu and Davao.

Three years after the launch of NUTAM and after ABS-CBN ceased to sign up for AGB Nielsen due to adulterated ratings on Bacolod, the new supplier of ABS-CBN broadcasting stations, TNS Philippines (now Kantar Media) has launched its own NUTAM minor panel of 1,370 townhouses. In 2012, Kantar became the first audience measurement company to include rural homes on its panel, as it expanded its panel to 2,610 urban and rural homes, larger than the AGB Nielsen panel of 2,000 townhouses.

In 2005, GMA launched its own international channel, GMA Pinoy TV, first in America and Asia, and as its competitor, TFC, would reach Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Also in that year, the GMA presented two of its most successful “fantasies” (or as the GMA calls it, “telefantasyas”), Encantadia and the 2005 version of the comic strip Mars Ravelo, Darna, that became great successes. ABS-CBN, meanwhile, saw Wowowee and Goin ‘Bulilit emerge as the most successful shows this year.

After ZOE TV became Q in 2005 after the GMA Network established a blocking agreement with ZOE TV, where GMA would be able to operate and program the DZOE-TV. ZOE Broadcasting opened another TV station, DZOZ-TV on Channel 33 in 2006. First launched as UniversiTV, it became the new ZOE TV in 2008, then renamed as Light TV in 2011 and finally to the Light Network in 2014.

The use of names for programming blocks became a standard for TV networks in the same decade – ABS-CBN first used this practice in the late 1990s by calling its prime-time block “5 to Sawa!” before switching it to “Primetime Combo-Nalo” in 2001, then to “Primetime Bida” in 2003. The network also called its half-day block “Primetime on Daytime” and its afternoon block “Dramathon sa Hapon” before changed their names in the 2000s to “PrimeTanghali” and “HaponTastic” (later, Kapamilya Gold) and later gave a name for morning (“Umaganda”) and weekend blocks (“Yes Weekend!”). GMA, in turn, had “TeleBabad” for its primetime block, “Dramarama” (later, Afternoon Prime) for the afternoons,

The intensification of competition between channels 2 and 7 would soon result in the removal of sitcoms and weekly primetime weekday programs, which suddenly became a block depending on the daily (vertical) schedule.

Among the other successes that ABS-CBN released during the latter part of the 2000s included “Super Inggo, Sana Maulit Muli, Kapamilya Deal or No Deal, Lobo (the first novel in the country to win an appointment at the International Emmy Awards), and May Bukas Pa, among many others.GMA, meanwhile, had Captain Barbell, the Filipino version of MariMar, Dyesebel, and Survivor Philippines.

Until 2007, the ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) was the only Philippine news channel. That year, ABS-CBN (owner of ANC) introduced the DZMM TeleRadyo, a TV simulator of the ABS-CBN AM radio station, the DZMM, broadcast from the AM station radio booth. The launch of TeleRadyo was followed by RHTV (DZRH Television), a cable channel broadcasting programs from the Manila Broadcasting Company’s AM radio station, DZRH, and considered to be MBC’s return to TV 35 years after its last season DZRH-TV channel 11 (now occupied by GMA News TV) was closed due to Martial Law, and never returned even after the EDSA Revolution.

The year after saw the launch of GNN, the third Filipino news channel, owned by First United Broadcasting Corporation.

RPN, meanwhile, entered into a partnership with cable operator Solar Entertainment, which saw RPN become C / S 9 (2008) and then Solar TV (2009), ETC 9 (2011) and Solar News Channel (2013) before Solar gave up Channel 9 for the ALC Group, where it became CNN Philippines in 2015. The IBC tried to partner with the Makisig Network, but that did not work out.

The ABC 5, after years of downfall, partnered with MPB Primedia, backed by Media Prima, a Malaysian media company in 2008, which saw its re-launch as TV5.

Change to digital TV (2010-current)
In 2007, ABS-CBN initiated the channel 2 test broadcasts and four other unnamed channels on digital television in Pampanga. Eight years later, in 2015, ABS-CBN, with the launch of the digital TV box ABS-CBN TVplus, formally started regular digital TV broadcasts of Channel 2 and four channels – two channels already launched as cable channels before, DZMM TeleRadyo and Knowledge Channel and two new channels, CineMo! and Yey !, first in parts of Luzon and Visayas before expanding to Mindanao. The GMA followed suit in digital TV broadcasting around two years later.

With the launch of digital TV through TVplus, new specialty multicannels have emerged for niche audiences. Among them were Yey !, CineMo !, DZMM TeleRadyo and ABS-CBN Knowledge Channel, and PTV’s Salaam TV, a channel focused exclusively on Filipino Muslims and Islamic communities.

In October 2015, ABS-CBN began streaming in HD with the release of ABS-CBN HD.

TV5 was acquired in 2010 by MediaQuest Holdings, owned by the telecommunications giant PLDT, and relaunched this year with a number of new schedules that previously included stars from ABS-CBN and GMA. Although it found initial success from 2010 to 2012, its abysmal financial condition later took its toll on Channel 5, disabling its ability to produce its own entertainment programs, which led to the cessation of its entertainment division until 2016.

In 2011, NBN reverted to its previous name, the PTV.

BEAM TV returned in 2011 on Channel 31 after ending in 2003. First affiliated to Solar Entertainment from 2011 to 2014, where it was screened as The Game Channel, Chase and Jack City, the channel is now shown as multi-channel Shop TV, TV Shop, Pilipinas HD, LifeTV, Island Living, as well as a live broadcast of radio station DZIQ 990 (owned by the Philippine Daily Inquirer Broadsheet) called Inquirer 990 Television and up to O Shopping, a home shopping channel owned by ABS -CBN.

One of TV5’s efforts to become a major player on TV was the launch of a new sports block at IBC 13, called AKTV, which in 2013 ceased operations due to low ratings. The IBC later partnered with the Asian Television Content Corporation to produce a new set of alternative programming to challenge the competition, but it also failed.

GMA and TV5 also created their own news channels in the same decade. TV5 was first with AksyonTV, which occupied the frequency of Channel 41 that once hosted MTV Philippines when it was still an open TV channel, before remaining silent in 2007 until the launch of AksyonTV. GMA followed later with GMA News TV, which replaced Q and occupied its old Channel 11 frequency.

ABS-CBN began switching production from its HD program in 2012, with Be Careful With My Heart, followed by later novels and current affairs programs. By 2015, all other ABS-CBN entertainment programs, such as variety shows, comedies and game shows, have begun to shift to HD. In 2018, the transition was completed with the first HD broadcasts of its newsreels.

In 2017, closed caption was introduced on Philippine TV, the first release on GMA and TV5.

On March 1, 2017, Light Network became the first TV network in the country to completely shut down analog TV broadcasts and is currently the only broadcast network on digital TV only.

Despite some successes, the 2010 decade was a mixed bag for the GMA, especially after the retirement of the Senior Vice President of Entertainment Group, Wilma Galvante. Although I’ve seen some hits like My Husband’s Lover, The Half-Sisters, Alyas Robin Hood, Ika-6 at Utos and the remake of Encantadia in 2016 under the new official in charge of Entertainment Group Lilybeth Rasonable, the GMA suffered audience losses as a result the strongest programming of ABS-CBN and its new digital TV service. Profits as a result of their mediocre performances declined most often before rebounding after 2015, as a result of the success of the KalyeSerye segment in Eat Bulaga that gave rise to AlDub’s love tandem (Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza) and the 2016 remake of Encantadia. However, despite several successes,

The successes of ABS-CBN in the years 2010 included the research of talents Pilipinas Got Talent, Mutya, the remakes of Mara Clara and Pangako Sa ‘Yo, Imortal, Walang Hanggan, The Voice of the Philippines, Princess and I, Juan dela Cruz, Honest, Got to Believe, Forevermore, The Legal Wife, The Filipino version of Your Face Sounds Family, Double Kara, Dolce Amore, Ang Probinsyano, and The Blood Moon. Wansapanataym, on the other hand, came back after a brief absence and TV Patrol World returned to its TV Patrol title. ABS-CBN also began work on a new sound complex in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan in 2011, the new venue for the production of its once completed programs.

In 2018, TV5 shortened its name, dropping the “TV” part of its name, to become simply “5”, or The 5 Network.

Since the introduction of TVplus, from ABS-CBN, the strong penetration of analogue television in Filipino households has been decreasing. By 2016, 76% (or more than three quarters) of all Filipino households that own TV were using analog TV. By 2017, that number has fallen to 63%, or less than two-thirds of all households with TV. In contrast, the percentage of Filipino TV households that were on digital TV or cable increased from 24 percent, or less than a quarter, to 37 percent, or more than a third of all households. As the penetration of digital TV and cable in the country grew, so did the audience indices of the digital multi-channels of ABS-CBN (S + A, CineMo, Yey, TeleRadyo and Knowledge Channel). From 4% in 2015, all five channels now earn about 6% audience share.

The biggest drop in analogue TV penetration rate was in Metro Manila, where households using analog TV dropped by more than half, from 48% (less than half the households in the region) to only 22% (more than one-fifth of households), as the penetration of digital television (DTT and cable) increased from 52% to 78%, or almost four fifths of all households in the region. This led to the penetration of analogue TV in Mega Manila (the largest TV audience in the country, 58% of Metro Manila) fell from 58% (or almost three-fifths) to 37% (over a third), while TV penetration (cable and DTT) increased from 42% to 63%. Despite this, most urban areas outside the Manila metropolitan area and rural households still use analog TV,

Source from Wikipedia