MANILA: Channel V has lost the majority of its Philippine
distribution after Philippines Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) pulled the
plug on the music broadcaster.
Channel V has since 1999 been broadcasting via UHF Channel 27, which is
owned by GMA Network, the country's second-largest terrestrial
station.
However, the deal turned sour in February when PLDT purchased a
controlling stake in GMA, which made Channel V superflous because PLDT
also owned another terrestrial network, the Nation Broadcasting
Corporations, which has a deal with rival regional music network, MTV
Networks Asia.
As a result, Channel V's potential reach has plummeted from around 2.3
million households to just 300,000 homes as it now only has distribution
through cable networks.
While the move has strengthened MTV's play, Channel V has moved to try
to step up penetration through pay-cable TV channels.
"Talks with PLDT on a new arrangement fell through because we felt that
to continue would not make financial sense," a source said.
"We're now going to a situation where every single viewer is paying to
watch Channel V, and our interim measure is to significantly boost our
viewership through cable," the source added.
