MANILA — In “another step” towards its big dream, ABS-CBN has doubled the number of viewing venues for its primetime programs, from four, after its free-TV channel was forced off air, to at least eight, nearly a year since the network’s broadcast franchise was denied.

When it premiered in August 2020, “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin” — the first Kapamilya series to debut and conclude after Channel 2 was shuttered — was seen on Kapamilya Channel (cable), TFC (overseas subscription), iWant TFC (on-demand streaming), and Kapamilya Online Live (free livestreaming).

In comparison, “Huwag Kang Mangamba” and “Init sa Magdamag,” primetime dramas scheduled to premiere on March 22 and April 19, respectively, will be accessible across eight platforms.

Those additional venues include two free and digital TV channels: A2Z Channel 11 (Metro Manila and nearby provinces) and TV5 (nationwide).

Launched in October 2020, A2Z is the current home of most Kapamilya programs, not just primetime dramas, on free television, under the blocktime partnership between Zoe Broadcasting Network and ABS-CBN.

TV5, meanwhile, started its simulcast of ABS-CBN’s primetime programming on March 8, in an unprecedented partnership among the two networks and Cignal. “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin,” and “Walang Hanggang Paalam” are the current scripted programs forming that lineup. “Huwag Kang Mangamba” and “Init sa Magdamag” will replace the latter two on their scheduled premiere dates.

The two brand-new shows will have two more venues for streaming starting March 20: WeTV and iflix, where VIP users will have advance access to episodes two days ahead of their TV broadcast.

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To sum up, ABS-CBN’s primetime shows can now be accessed through eight platforms: Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, TFC, Kapamilya Online Live, iWant TFC, WeTV, and iflix. “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” is also aired on CineMo, while “Init sa Magdamag” will be available on Jeepney TV, both cable channels of ABS-CBN, bringing their total to nine.

Cory Vidanes, ABS-CBN’s COO of broadcast, along with ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and chairman Mark Lopez, attended the media launch virtually.

Georgette Tengco, Philippine manager of WeTV and iflix, noted that the “whole entertainment industry in the entire world is shifting, where networks and studios in the US and Europe have begun experimenting on how to deliver their content more efficiently and expediently to their viewers.”

She described the partnership as “a testament to the progressive thinking of ABS-CBN,” mentioning its top executives.

“It is proof that as a content creator, ABS-CBN is willing to put the power into the hands of the viewers, to watch whenever, wherever they find it most convenient,” she said.

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