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Hey, have you seen a war so merciless, yet we are in peace?
Yes, there is a war so merciless, but it's not World War III. It's a war involving three Philippine TV networks: ABS-CBN, GMA-7, and TV5. Usually, ABS-CBN was the one winning every battle because of manipulations, and good for tactics, with most of battles being won by GMA are described as reliable awards. Other networks involved in this war are present-day underdogs like RPN, IBC, and PTV.
History[]
Let The Battle Begin! (1953-1972)[]
Philippine TV got its start with DZAQ-TV Channel 3 of Alto Broadcasting System (ABS), launched on October 23, 1953. ABS would soon get acquired by the Lopezes, and its sister network, Chronicle Broadcasting Network launched DZXL-TV Channel 9. In 1961, ABS and CBN's TV networks merged to become ABS-CBN.
Until 1961, ABS-CBN was the only TV network in the country. During that year, Philippine TV was booming, with new stations opening up: DZBB-TV Channel 7 of Republic Broadcasting System (RBS, now known as GMA Network), DZTM-TV Channel 5 of Associated Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), DZRH-TV Channel 11 of Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC), and DZTV Channel 13 of the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC). Soon enough, it became a huge battlefield for the networks.
ABS-CBN and RBS also engaged in provincial expansion. ABS-CBN opened a TV station in Cebu named DYCB-TV Channel 3 in 1961, with RBS following in 1963 with DYSS-TV Channel 7. ABS-CBN ruled the ratings throughout most of the 1960s, with the most notable exception being 1962, in which RBS finished ahead of ABS-CBN in Mega Manila, only to lose to ABS-CBN the following year. Even before GMA became the outright major TV network of today, as RBS, it was the lowest-ranked network and was at the brink of bankruptcy back in the 1960s.
In 1968, ABS-CBN gave rise to its present-day Broadcast Center in Quezon City, then the most-advanced broadcast facility in Asia, rivaling that of Japan's NHK. The following year, ABS-CBN changed its channel assignment to channels 2 and 4, to give way for the rise of DZKB-TV Channel 9 of Kanlaon Broadcasting System (KBS, now known as Radio Philippines Network or RPN).
By 1972, ABS-CBN had the largest TV network in the country with 9 TV stations all over the country.
Martial Law (1972-1986)[]
When Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law, ABS-CBN, RBS, and ABC were forced to shut down. KBS and IBC were the only channels maintained. A year later, Salvador "Buddy" Tan, general manager of KBS, reopened Channel 2 as the Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation. And yet, everything that spread all over Philippine TV, from the shows, to the employees, to the stars, were all from ABS-CBN, signifying its continued dominance (despite being hidden).
The two Benedicto stations namely, KBS Channel 9 and BBC Channel 2, served as vehicles of propaganda for the government. In 1980, Channels 2, 9 and 13 moved to the newly built Broadcast City in Diliman, Quezon City. In the same year, Gregorio Cendaña was named Minister of Information. DWGT-TV Channel 4 became known as Maharlika Broadcasting System. KBS soon became RPN or Radio Philippines Network or RPN in 1975.
By the latter part of 1973, RBS was sold to Felipe Gozon the family lawyer of Stewart because foreigners are not allowed to own businesses in the Philippines, who later changed the name from RBS to Global Media Arts, or simply GMA Network, popularly known as GMA-7.
By this period, government-owned networks were the ones ruling the ratings. First, it was RPN from 1972 to 1975, then IBC from 1975 to 1976, and then RPN again from 1976 to 1985.
The 1974 Miss Universe Pageant, the 1975 Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier heavyweight fight, the 1981 visit of Pope John Paul II was shown worldwide, and it made a false impression that everything was doing well in the country. When Benigno Aquino was assassinated in 1983, it was a small item on television news. During his historic funeral procession, GMA-7 was allowed by only ten seconds of airtime coverage. In 1985, GMA finished ahead of RPN-9 in terms of ratings and audience share.
ABS-CBN's Return and the Rise of UHF and Cable TV (1986-2004)[]
At the height of the People Power Revolution, military reformists, believing that television would be a powerful tool to aid the revolution, attacked and took over the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center. On 24 February 1986, former ABS-CBN talents put the station back on the air and televised the drama of the unfolding uprising, thereby contributing to the strength of the revolt. In 1986, during the People Power Revolution which destroyed the rule of Marcos regime, ABS-CBN was returned after BBC, RPN, and IBC were sequestered by the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG), in turn awarded BBC through an executive order, RPN and IBC turned over to Government Communications Group.
ABS-CBN's return, however, was a bit rocky. The network was forced to share space in the Broadcast Center that was rightfully their own with the government TV station Channel 4. At the time, money had been scarce while resources were limited; offices were used as dressing rooms and other equipment such as chairs, tables, and phones were in short supply. Worse yet, ABS-CBN was in last place, and suffered heavy losses. Eugenio "Geny" Lopez Jr. by early 1987 brought in programming whiz and ABS-CBN veteran Freddie Garcia, then working for GMA Network, and set him loose to work his magic touch.
Six months later on 1 March 1987, Channel 2 was relaunched with the live musical special, "The Star Network: Ang Pagbabalik Ng Bituin" (The Return of the Star). The relaunch proved to be hugely successful as ABS-CBN landed in second place by year-end of 1987, ahead of PTV, RPN, and IBC, and behind GMA. The following year, ABS-CBN successfully finished ahead of GMA, as it became number one in the ratings again. The same year, GMA launched the very powerful 777-foot Tower of Power, while ABS-CBN started broadcasting on nationwide domestic satellite telecast.
At the same time, RPN and IBC were slumping. They were relaunched as New Vision 9 and Islands TV 13 respectively, but suffered more heavy ratings losses until the 1990s, in which they enjoyed a period of slight resurgence.
ABC also returned, on 1992. It quickly grabbed third place by year-end of 1992, earning the tag "The Fastest Growing Network". ABS-CBN and GMA also kicked off their international expansion in the same year. In 1993, after many years, ABS-CBN finally regained full ownership of the Broadcast Center, while PTV moved to a new facility in Quezon City.
During the middle 1990s to 2000s, many UHF stations were launched, such as SBN 21, Studio 23, Net 25, Citynet 27, RJTV 29/2nd Avenue, BEAM 31/Jack City, UNTV 37, AksyonTV 41, among others. Cable TV also became a widespread phenomenon in the country, with international cable channels arriving on Philippine shores. ABS-CBN also launched its own cable channels throughout the decade.
Though ABS-CBN remained dominant from 2000-2004, it faced financial losses caused by political unrest and terrorist attacks, and also faced intensified competition from GMA. However, by year-end 2003, ABS-CBN saw a massive jump in net income, largely because of the success of its 50th anniversary celebration.
The "Rise" of GMA (2004-2007)[]
After 16 years, in 2004, GMA won the ratings year in Mega Manila for the first time in 16 years, but still trailed behind ABS-CBN in national ratings.
ABS-CBN saw a massive loss in net income, while GMA's reached 2 billion pesos. At the same time, ABC, RPN, and IBC were slumping again due to uncontrollably stiff competition between ABS-CBN and GMA. In 2006, ABS-CBN suffered another huge loss when Wowowee's first anniversary ended up with 71 people killed by a stampede. However, surveys confirmed that ABS-CBN was the leader network nationwide, with 42.7% audience share. ABS-CBN successfully recovered two years after 2005, outperforming its previous years in terms of net income and revenues.
In late 2007, however, ABS-CBN accused AGB Nielsen Philippines of tampering with the ratings during their 2007 ratings surveys. On January 8, Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) junked ABS-CBN's case against AGB Nielsen saying it was prematurely filed. Supreme Court said that ABS-CBN must payed damages to GMA Network for tampering its network image and bad reputation of cheating. In the same year, as ABS-CBN is now No. 2 as confirmed by Former executive Charo Santos that cause her to depressed as ABS-CBN is no longer No.1 network. Thus., afterward ABS-CBN has shifted to Kantar Media, infamous media research in the country than to AGB Nielsen that are mostly used by media companies in the world.
ABS-CBN's Fightback and Changing Tides (2008-present)[]
ABS-CBN soon celebrated its 55th anniversary and in the following years after 2007, ABS-CBN spawned new hits like Palos, Maging Sino Ka Man, Lobo, Dyosa, Kung Fu Kids, May Bukas Pa, Pieta, Precious Hearts Romances, Momay, a new Wansapanatym, Noah, Banana Split, The Singing Bee, Showtime, and Mutya. GMA, meanwhile, produced a diverse set of shows for its primetime block by airing Carlo J. Caparas' Joaquin Bordado, Mars Ravelo's Dyesebel, Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita, Gagambino, Codename: Asero, Lalola, Ako si Kim Sam Soon, Survivor Philippines, Family Feud, Saan Darating Ang Umaga? and Luna Mystika. It also became the new home of the Idol franchise, with Pinoy Idol premiering that summer along with its companion show, Pinoy Idol Extra.
While GMA was still leading in Mega Manila, ABS-CBN, thanks to many hit programs, successfully reduced it by 2009, while cementing its national dominance in the TV ratings. Meanwhile, ABC was relaunched as TV5 in 2008, and the relaunch became a success as it grabbed 11.1% audience share by the end of 2009.
In 2010, ABS-CBN shifted to augmented reality technology for its newscasts and news coverages. And in June the same year, ABS-CBN finally regained leadership in Mega Manila, driven by the monumental performance of its election coverage and the overwhelming success of its shows. ABS-CBN remained dominant in the following years with new hits: 100 Days to Heaven, Guns and Roses, Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin, Be Careful With My Heart, Walang Hanggan, Princess and I, It's Showtime, and Gandang Gabi Vice. TV5 was also acquired by PLDT and enjoyed a massive period of ratings jumps before suffering more financial losses in 2011.
But while GMA-7 was still a major TV network that still posed as strong competition to ABS-CBN, trouble was brewing in the ranks. In February 28, 2012, the network announced the retirement of Senior Vice President for the Entertainment Group, Wilma Galvante. The announcement came about after Galvante officially retired from the network, ending her 19 years of service as entertainment head, and it spelled danger for GMA: GMA's programs launched in 2012 failed to compete with those of ABS-CBN. The following years after 2012, it suffered from more failed programs, swelling hater amounts, massive decline in revenues and net income, programming mishaps that enraged its viewers, and talents transferring to a now fully-recovered ABS-CBN.
2013, meanwhile, proved to be another banner year for ABS-CBN as it turned 60. The network celebrated the occasion with the launch of a new campaign called "Kwento Natin Ito!", and defended its lead with several new shows: among them are the phenomenal Juan dela Cruz, Got to Believe, Muling Buksan Ang Puso, Annaliza, and Honesto, as well as the return of The Singing Bee which debuted to great expectations, and a new look and set for TV Patrol and Bandila. ABS-CBN also celebrated its 60th anniversary through its Kwento ng Kasiyahan: The ABS-CBN Grand Kapamilya Weekend at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City, which had entertainment and public service events rolled up for the celebration. By the end of 2013, ABS-CBN's dominance was sustained yet again, as its nationwide audience share stood at 42% against GMA's 33%.
Under Noel Lorenzana, TV5 also did gain a slight financial resurgence with its Weekend Do It Better and Everyday All The Way programming blocks launched during the year before suffering more programming struggles from 2014 to 2019. The indefinite shutdown of ABS-CBN caused them to gain another slight resurgence in local entertainment despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 by turning to various independent companies such as Archangel Media and Brightlight Productions.
Networks involved[]
ABS-CBN[]
The oldest and currently the largest television network. On October 23, 1953, the then-Alto Broadcasting System (ABS) launched DZAQ-TV Channel 3, while in Fernando and Eugenio Lopez launced then-Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) as DZXL-TV Channel 9 on April 19, 1958, the Lopez brothers controlled both television channels nationwide. In 1967, the corporate name was changed to ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation for its merging companies. DZAQ-TV transferred to channel 2, while its sister station DZXL-TV transferred to channel 4.
Nowadays, ABS-CBN is on VHF channel 2 (currently inactive), while channel 4 is now controlled by state-broadcaster People's Television Network after the EDSA People Power Revolution, that was event after these channels sequestered by Ferdinand Marcos' cronies.
In 1988, ABS-CBN became number one again in Mega Manila and remained number one until 2004 (after being overtaken by GMA), and then again from 2007 until its indefinite shutdown in May 2020. As of 2022, it is the most-floppest media content provider in the Philippines in terms of poor audience shares and low ratings for their current shows including the iconic trash Darna starred by Kapamilya starlet Jane de Leon, the flop Dysebel Version, unsustain Bagani, Marry You Marry Me, Flower of Evil and among others. As of 2023, ABS-CBN have numerous of flopped series has ever produced such as Nag-Aapoy na Damdamin killed by the Philippines unbeatable No.1 daytime drama Abot Kamay na Pangarap according to the data of Kantar Media and AGB Nielsen and Pira-pirasong Paraiso sparked with lowest pilo ratings versus to unbeatable Magandang Dilag of GMA-7. The news confirmed ABS-CBN suffered to their current Kapamilya Gold lineup, Magandang Dilag and Abot Kamay na Pangarap both number one in rural and nationwide TV ratings, commerical sponsors and online views.
GMA Network[]
Launched DZBB-7 in 1961 by Robert Stewart, American journalist of its former name Republic Broadcasting System, then changed its channel name to GMA Radio-Television Arts in 1974. GMA became one of the instrumental during the People Power Revolution in 1986 and became top stations in the country. Now, the RBS corporate name shifted to GMA Network Inc. in 1996. It was the dominant network in Mega Manila from 2004 to 2011 (tied with ABS-CBN since 2006).
TV5[]
The youngest of the 3 networks, it was launched in February 1992 as ABC-5 (Associated Broadcasting Company DWET-TV) by Edgardo Roces and Edward Tan. Under this management, it produced entertainment programs which were described as innovative. In 2003 however, the network was acquired by Tonyboy Cojuangco and his master plan was to create a more distinct programming line-up at the height of the network wars, hence the slogan "Iba Tayo!" the following year.
By 2007, due to the increasing competition between ABS-CBN and GMA, it suffered from huge financial losses, which forced them to blocktime with Media Prima Berhad and eventually renaming it as TV5 in August 2008. Manny V. Pangilinan acquired the network in late 2009 from the Cojuangco-MPB joint consortium and gained its nickname as the "Kapatid" network, giving them a chance to become the third player. With their entertainment division dissolved in 2015, majority of their entertainment programming has been produced by different blocktimers.