The PLDT Group’s MediaQuest Holdings and its broadcast unit TV5 have signed a landmark collaboration agreement with Nine Media Corporation to launch RPTV -- a new free-to-air channel offering sports and news -- to take over CNN Philippines' airtime.
In a statement, the firms said RPTV is using Nine Media’s airtime agreement with RPN following the signing of the content distribution, sales and marketing services agreement between Mediaquest, TV5, NMC. This comes after Nine Media stopped the operations of CNN Philippines.
“The deal arose from the previous agreement that saw TV5’s PBA and EAT Bulaga! airing on Channel 9 on weekends beginning January,” said MediaQuest President and CEO Jane J. Basas.
She explained that “both parties saw a good opportunity for a more robust collaboration for a unique channel that puts together some of the most sought-after sports and entertainment content that the MediaQuest group has to offer.”
“This agreement brings together TV5 and MediaQuest’s vast library of programs and Nine Media’s broadcast network access and nationwide reach,” said TV5 President and CEO Guido Zaballero.
He added that “our collaboration with Nine Media allows us to reach more Filipinos and deliver our commitment to provide the entertainment, sports, news, and public service content that they love.”
RPTV launched last Feb. 1 and is available on Channel 9 Analog, Channel 19 DTT, Channel 18.3 DTT, over 300 cable and satellite providers nationwide, and streaming live via the Cignal Play OTT App.
NMC shut down all media platforms of CNN Philippines last Jan. 31 due to losses it had been incurring for years.
“The decision follows significant financial losses sustained over the past years, despite rigorous efforts to adapt and innovate in a rapidly evolving and challenging media landscape,” NMC said.
Acknowledging the impact of the closure, NMC assured all affected employees and talents of severance packages.
“We express our deepest appreciation to our dedicated team for their unwavering commitment over the years that has elevated CNNPH as a trusted source of news and information in the Philippines,” NMC added.
In its post on X (formerly Twitter), CNN Philippines said that it is “turning the final page of the CNN Philippines newsroom's story. We are forever grateful for the stories we've shared, the audience we've served, and to our dedicated team for their commitment to uphold the values of truth, accuracy, fairness, and accountability. Thank you for the privilege to tell the story of the Filipino.”
Replacing 9TV, CNN Philippines was launched on March 16, 2015 and was the fifth local franchise of CNN in Asia, after CNN Indonesia, CNN Türk, CNN Arabic and CNN-IBN (now CNN-News18 in India).