Manny Villar
MANILA, Philippines — Billionaire Manuel Villar, a former senator and head of a powerful political and business clan, is stepping up his bid to become the country’s next media mogul, snagging a deal with CNN Philippines for the airing of its flagship news program on the tycoon’s fledgling ALLTV Network.
Prior to this deal, ALLTV has been acquiring talents for its program lineup.
Television host Willie Revillame, formerly associated with GMA, signed last July a contract with Villar’s Advanced Media Broadcasting System for the airing of his popular game show “Wowowin,” with celebrity Toni Gonzaga and husband Paul Soriano signing as talents on Sept. 1. This was followed on Sept. 6 by former ABS-CBN talent and broadcast journalist Anthony Taberna.
Last Monday, Revillame announced that he and other “surprise stars” will officially launch ALLTV at noontime on Sept. 13.
Extended franchise
ALLTV is available on Channel 2 on free-to-air TV, which was among the frequencies previously held by Lopez-led ABS-CBN Corp. before its franchise renewal bid was rejected two years ago. It also airs on Channel 16 on digital and Channel 35 on Cignal TV and Sky Cable, Channel 12 on Affordabox, and Channel 12 on TVPlus.
Advanced Media, whose 25-year franchise extension was approved in 2019, took over the broadcast frequencies of ABS-CBN that were recalled from the company after former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies in Congress allowed its franchise to expire in 2020 in a move that was decried as politically motivated.
The National Telecommunications Commission gave Advanced Media a “test broadcast” permit to use the coveted Channel 2 spectrum last Jan. 6 and provisional authority to use digital TV frequencies in Metro Manila and Mega Manila on Channel 16.
This effectively gave the Villar group control over the frequencies, a scarce public asset, and blocked future attempts by ABS-CBN to regain use of the spectrum.
News content
Villar is the richest Filipino on Forbes’ 2022 World’s Billionaires List with a fortune worth $8.3 billion.
On Wednesday, Advanced Media president Maribeth Tolentino and chief financial officer Maryknoll Zamora signed the deal with CNN Philippines president Benjamin Ramos.
Starting Sept. 13, news program “News Night,” anchored by CNN correspondent Pia Hontiveros, will simultaneously air on Advanced Media’s ALLTV and CNN. The segment runs from Monday to Friday at 6 pm. It is a 60-minute new program that features the day’s top stories with live reports, in-depth analysis and live interviews.
The show will also be available on 12 Radio Philippines Network stations across the country.
“Through CNN Philippines, we can provide our viewers with in-depth local news coverage, and a global perspective on key issues, and stories from around the world,” Tolentino said.
Ramos said the deal was a “game changer” and could expand CNN Philippines’ audience reach.
“We have an opportunity to reach more people in many parts of the country,” he added.
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