ABS-CBN: Digital transmission using Channel 43 ceases on June 30 evening

Media giant ABS-CBN Corp. on Tuesday said it will comply with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) order to stop the operations of Channel 43, which it uses to broadcast ABS-CBN TV Plus programs.

“At 2:26 PM today, ABS-CBN received an alias cease and desist order from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) directing ABS-CBN to cease and desist from operating digital TV transmission in Metro Manila using channel 43,” the company said.

In its order dated June 30, 2020, the NTC directed ABS-CBN to “immediately cease and desist from operating digital TV Transmission in Metro Manila using Channel 43.”

Citing its May 5, 2020 order against ABS-CBN to stop from operating radio and television stations, the NTC said that the earlier cease and desist order “necessarily includes DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) transmission in Metro Manila using Channel 43.”

The telecommunications regulator said that after ABS-CBN went off the air, it had monitored digital transmission on Channel 43. The programs monitored were Cine Mo!, Yey!, DZMM TeleRadyo, and KBO (PPV).

In a statement, ABS-CBN said it received the “alias a cease and desist order” the NTC at 2:26 p.m., June 30, and would comply with the directive to stop operating digital TV transmission in Metro Manila using channel 43 despite insisting the channel in question is not included in the regulator May 5, 2020 cease and desist order.

“This means that viewers with TVPlus set-top boxes in Metro Manila will be unable to watch Teleradyo, Jeepney TV, Yey!, Asianovela Channel, CineMo, and KBO,” it said.

“While channel 43 is not mentioned in NTC’s cease and desist order (CDO) of May 5, 2020, and it is ABS-CBN’s informed understanding that channel 43 is not included in the CDO, digital TV transmission in Metro Manila using channel 43 will cease tonight (June 30), consistent with the intent of the alias CDO,” ABS-CBN said.

“This means that viewers with TVPlus set-top boxes in Metro Manila will be unable to watch Teleradyo, Jeepney TV, Yey!, Asianovela Channel, CineMo, and KBO,” it said.

ABS-CBN said it has a pending petition with the Supreme Court questioning the NTC’s earlier CDO and “hopes that such petition will be resolved soon in its favor so that it can resume broadcasting on both analog and digital platforms in the service of the Filipino,” the company said.”

To recall, ABS-CBN was ordered on May 5 to stop operating its various TV and radio stations nationwide following the expiration of its legislative franchise on May 4, 2020

NTC Commissionar Gamaliel Cordoba, during the House joint panel hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise issue on Monday, said that Channel 43 was covered in the original cease and desist order it issued to ABS-CBN last May 5.

Cordoba said Channel 43 was assigned to Amcara Broadcasting Network, which he claimed is a sister company of ABS-CBN, and through which the latter airs digital TV.

ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak, however, said that the original cease and desist order did not cover Channel 43.

Katigbak said that while Channel 43 was temporarily assigned to ABS-CBN for its digital broadcasts in the past, the network was eventually given Channel 16 and Channel 43 was given to Amcara.

"Amcara Broadcasting is not owned by ABS-CBN. The reason that you continue to see our channels with TV Plus is we have a block-time arrangement with Amcara," Katigbak said.

"A block-time agreement is a standard commercial agreement where a company is allowed to buy airtime from a duly-licensed broadcaster and to air programs," he added.

But Cordoba insisted that Channel 43 was covered under the original cease and desist order. -NB, GMA News