ABS-CBN

ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network (composed of television through terrestrial, cable or satellite, radio and new media through streaming media, internet or online) and syndication, program distributor, and production company (operating primarily under the name ABS-CBN Entertainment) that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under the Lopez Group. It formerly operated as a free-to-air television network. The network is headquartered at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City, with additional offices and production facilities in 25 major cities including Baguio, Naga, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, and Davao. ABS-CBN's production and post-production facility is located at the Horizon IT Park in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan which opened in 2018. ABS-CBN was colloquially referred to as the Kapamilya Network;[note 1] this branding was originally introduced in 1999 and was officially introduced in 2003 during the celebration of its 50th anniversary and was used until its May 5, 2020 shutdown. During its shutdown, ABS-CBN's branding changed to Kapamilya Forever in support for the network's franchise renewal on May 13, 2020. ABS-CBN is the largest media company in the country in terms of assets, manpower, and international coverage. As of 2020, the terrestrial broadcasting operations of the network is indefinitely suspended due to lack of license and franchise, but broadcasting activities continued via online, cable and satellite, streaming platforms, and other free-to-air terrestrial television (through blocktime with A2Z and TV5).

ABS-CBN is the first and oldest television broadcaster in Southeast Asia and one of the oldest commercial television broadcasters in Asia. It has also been the leading television network in the Philippines with advertising revenues of 21.2 billion pesos for the fiscal year of 2015. ABS-CBN's very first-ever television broadcast was on October 23, 1953, as Alto Broadcasting System (ABS) on DZAQ-TV, just 3 months after the first broadcast of Japan's NHK General TV and Nippon Television. It is also the first television network in Southeast Asia to broadcast in color, the first television network in the Philippines to formally launch a digital terrestrial television service, and the first broadcast television network in the Philippines to formally launch in HD.

The flagship television station of ABS-CBN is DWWX-TV (ABS-CBN TV-2 Manila). As such, the network is also referred to informally as Channel 2 or Dos (sometimes used in the Filipino language to mean the number two) even if the network is seen in other channel numbers elsewhere in the country. The network operates across the Philippine archipelago through the ABS-CBN Regional division which controls 80 television stations. Its programs are also available outside the Philippines through the global subscription television channel The Filipino Channel (TFC) which is available in over three million paying households worldwide as well as terrestrially in Guam through KEQI-LD. Since 2011, the network has been on test broadcast for digital terrestrial television using the Japanese standard ISDB-T in select areas in the Philippines. It also partnered with KANTAR Media Inc. the ratings provider of ABS-CBN and other media entity. On October 3, 2015, ABS-CBN started to broadcast in high-definition through its affiliate direct-to-home cable and satellite television providers.

ABS-CBN was issued a cease-and-desist order by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and Solicitor General Jose Calida on May 5, 2020, after the NTC refused to renew the network's franchise license earlier in February 2020. The franchise license expired on May 4, 2020, and a day later, ABS-CBN officially signed off in the evening. Kapamilya Channel was then set up as a replacement for its main terrestrial channel which can only be viewed via cable, satellite and online. A web-based channel Kapamilya Online Live was also set up to exclusively livestream some of its contents to online video-sharing platforms Facebook and YouTube.

On October 10, 2020, A2Z Channel 11 was launched as the network's temporary terrestrial channel space through a blocktime agreement between ABS-CBN Corporation and ZOE Broadcasting Network. Some of the ABS-CBN Entertainment programs are being shown on TV5 starting January 24, 2021.

As of June 30, 2021, the ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube channel is currently the most-subscribed and most-viewed channel in Southeast Asia with 35 million subscribers and 44.1 billion views, surpassing Thailand's Workpoint TV.

Contents 1	History 1.1	Early years 1.2	Martial Law era 1.3	Reestablishment 1.4	2000s to the 2020s 1.5	2020: COVID-19 pandemic, franchise renewal issue and shutdown 1.6	2020–present: Shifting to cable, new media and a content provider 1.6.1	Kapamilya Channel 1.6.2	Kapamilya Online Live 1.6.3	YouTube and Facebook 1.6.4	iWant TFC and The Filipino Channel 1.6.5	KTX 1.6.6	Radio Service 1.6.7	Blocktime deals and partnership agreements 1.6.7.1	Partnership with Kumu (2020–present) 1.6.7.2	Blocktime deal with ZOE TV (2020–present) 1.6.7.3	Partnership with Brightlight and TV5/Cignal (2021–present) 1.6.7.4	Partnership with WeTV iflix (2021–present) 1.6.7.5	Partnership with iQiyi (2021–present) 2	ABS-CBN Regional 3	Programming 4	Digital transition 4.1	Digital terrestrial television 4.2	High-definition television 4.3	Tapeless 4.4	Digital archiving 5	Competition 6	Controversies and scandals 6.1	2004 copyright infringement with GMA 6.2	Wowowee scandals and incidents 6.3	AGB Nielsen TV ratings scandal 6.4	Writ of Amparo 6.5	ABS-CBN vs. Willing Willie copyright case 6.6	2020 franchise renewal controversy 7	Notes 8	References 9	External links History See also: ABS-CBN Corporation History Early years James Lindenberg, the owner of BEC and an American engineer, was the first to apply for a license to the Philippine Congress to establish a television station in 1949. His request was granted on June 14, 1950, under Republic Act No. 511. Because of the strict import controls and the lack of raw materials needed to open a TV station in the Philippines during the mid-20th century, Lindenberg branched to radio broadcasting instead with the sign-on of experimental radio station DZBC.

Judge Antonio Quirino, brother of former President Elpidio Quirino, also tried to apply for a license to Congress, but was denied. He later purchased stocks from BEC and subsequently consummated the controlling stock to rename the company from BEC to Alto Broadcasting System (ABS).

DZAQ-TV began commercial television operations on October 23, 1953; the first fully licensed commercial television station in the Philippines. The first program to air was a garden party at the Quirino residence in Sitio Alto, San Juan. After the premiere telecast, the station followed a four-hour-a-day schedule, from six to ten in the evening.

On June 16, 1955, Republic Act No. 1343 signed by President Ramon Magsaysay granted Manila Chronicle owner Eugenio Lopez, Sr. and former Vice President Fernando Lopez, a radio-TV franchise from the Congress and immediately established Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) on September 24, 1956, which initially focused only on radio broadcasting On February 24, 1957, Lopez invited Judge Quirino to his house for breakfast and ABS was bought under a contract written on a table napkin. The corporate name was reverted to Bolinao Electronics Corporation immediately after the purchase of ABS. With the establishment of DZXL-TV 9 of CBN on April 19 (or July 27), 1958, the Lopez brothers controlled both television channels in the archipelago, culminating in the first wave of expansion. In 1961, BEC launched the nation's first regional and provincial television station in Cebu City.

In 1966, ABS-CBN was among the most advanced broadcasting facility of its kind in Asia. Full-color broadcasts began in 1971 (8 hours a day) on ABS-CBN 2 with the availability of more color television sets around Manila and neighboring municipalities and cities.

Martial Law era

The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Diliman, Quezon City, the headquarters of ABS-CBN When then-President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, the network was forced, along with its regional stations and other television networks, to shut down, and the company was seized from the Lopez brothers. Marcos' Letter of Instruction No. 1-A, signed September 22, 1972 and addressed to the Secretary of the Department of National Defense, accused the ABS-CBN and the Associated Broadcasting Corporation (now known as TV5) of delivering "deliberately slanted and overly exaggerated news stories and commentaries," of promoting the ends of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and of having been instrumental in an assassination attempt on the President.

Its newly built headquarters was renamed as the "Broadcast Plaza", and it became the home of the three TV stations that were controlled by the Marcos regime. The first TV station that took over the facility was the Kanlaon Broadcasting System or KBS-9 (later renamed as Radio Philippines Network or RPN-9 in 1975), after its headquarters and studios at Roxas Boulevard (which ironically previously used by ABS-CBN before moving to Broadcast Center and sold to KBS-9) was destroyed by fire on June 6, 1973. KBS-9 was owned by Marcos crony Roberto Benedicto and was the only TV network that was never shut down by the government in the wake of the martial law declaration. In 1974, Benedicto-owned Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation or BBC-2, with call sign changed to DWWX-TV, and the state-run Government Television or GTV-4 (later renamed as Maharlika Broadcasting System or MBS-4), with call sign changed to DWGT-TV, soon also took over the Broadcast Plaza. Both TV stations were previously used by ABS-CBN during the pre-Martial Law era. BBC and RPN were relocated to the Broadcast City compound in Old Balara, Quezon City (along with then-sister station Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation or IBC) in 1978. As the People Power Revolution (commonly known as EDSA Revolution) broke out in early 1986, and Marcos' grip on power debilitated, the reformists in the military contended the broadcasting network would be a vital asset for victory. Thus, at 10 am on February 24, 1986, they attacked and took the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center that was then the home of MBS-4 and the long hibernation of the station ended in March.

After Marcos was deposed, the newly created Presidential Commission on Good Government approved the return of the network's flagship station Channel 2 to the Lopezes in June 1986 but not Channel 4. The Lopez family continued to own the network itself during the Marcos regime. On September 14, 1986, ABS-CBN went back on the air with the TV special, "We're back!!" broadcasting from what used to be their main garage at the revived Broadcast Center in the pre-Martial Law days. In January 1987, the network was forced to share space in the building that was rightfully their own with the government TV station Channel 4 (until January 22, 1992). 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.

Nine years after the revival on March 30, 1995, Republic Act No. 7966 signed by President Fidel Ramos granted ABS-CBN its legislative franchise for the second time.

2000s to the 2020s During the historic presidential election of 2010, in response to the first automation of the election in the country, ABS-CBN utilized a technology from Orad Hi Tech Systems Ltd. that utilizes the principles of augmented reality. The technology uses real-time image processing system for live broadcasts of 3D computer-generated imagery against a real set or background. ABS-CBN also utilized what was probably the biggest touch screen display to be used in a Philippine television show. A new set dubbed as the "WAR" (Wireless Audience Response) room was specifically designed for the said election coverage. The coverage of ABS-CBN became the third top trending topic worldwide on the social networking site Twitter.

In February 2017, ABS-CBN upgraded Control Rooms 3 and 10 at its TV production studios in Quezon City with identical Lawo mc256 audio consoles. The new consoles replaced two dated desks and were installed by Broadcast Communications International, the main contractor for the upgrade. The IP-based Lawo production consoles – each with 64 faders and providing 270 DSP channels, a routing capacity of 5120×5120 crosspoints, integrated Waves SoundGrid servers and connectivity via four DALLIS I/O frames, mark the first Lawo equipment installations in the Philippines. The modernized IP-ready studio control rooms went on-air in January 2018.

In June 2018, it received the YouTube Diamond Creator Award for being the first YouTube channel in the Philippines to reach 10 million subscribers for its entertainment channel. The channel is also one of the only three channels in Southeast Asia to have reached the milestone on the popular video-sharing platform, after Thai TV network Workpoint and Thai entertainment company GMM Grammy. It also becomes the first YouTube channel in the Philippines to hit 20 and 30 million subscribers.

In July 2018, ABS-CBN won a prestigious Gold Quill award of excellence at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards in Montreal, Canada for its "Wow at Saya" audience experience program for the network's live shows such as It's Showtime and ASAP Natin 'To.

In 2018, ABS CBN won 30 awards during the 16th Gawad Tanglaw awards and also won 34 awards during the 32nd Star Awards for Television for their good TV programs and personalities.

Also in December of the same year, ABS-CBN inaugurated its new state-of-the-art sound stages studio complex called Horizon IT Park located at San Jose del Monte, Bulacan which was on par with Hollywood standards. The Phase 1 of the project includes its first two sound stages each sized of 1,500 square meters, with the first stage was named for its chairman emeritus, Eugenio Lopez III who visioned of the new studios, The EL3 Stage. The complex also includes backlots, facilities for its production and post-production, and offices. The studios will be used for its upcoming teleserye The Faithful Wife and its reality singing competition show, Idol Philippines, using the name as "Idol City".

In September 2019, ABS-CBN had announced that it would be venturing into Hollywood production for the US film and TV outfit Electric Entertainment which is headed by Filipino-American producer Dean Devlin with a U.S. crime series Almost Paradise, set in Cebu and would air in the United States via the cable company, WGN. It was ABS-CBN's first foray into Hollywood television production. The series' production in Bigfoot Soundstage in Cebu began filming in November 2019. On March 10, 2020, in the wake of the World Health Organization-declared COVID-19 pandemic that had also spread across the Philippines, as well as President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of state of public health emergency after the first local transmission of COVID-19 was confirmed, ABS-CBN announced that it would temporarily suspend its admission of studio audience in tapings for its game, talk, variety and reality shows, including Magandang Buhay, It's Showtime, ASAP Natin 'To, Banana Sundae and the second season of the Philippine version of South Korean game show I Can See Your Voice, to provide safety and well-being to its artists, crew and production teams. The aforementioned shows would, however, continue to air in production without a studio audience.

Then, on March 15, 2020, ABS-CBN temporarily suspended production of its entertainment shows, after Metro Manila was put under a community quarantine (partial lockdown), later turned into an enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon (total lockdown). Among the prime time shows affected included Pamilya Ko, FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, Make It with You (later canceled without completing its story in June 2020) and A Soldier's Heart, which were all put on hold from March 16, 2020, until May/June 2020. The network aired reruns of some teleseryes and other programs including 100 Days to Heaven, May Bukas Pa, On the Wings of Love, The Legal Wife, Got to Believe, Walang Hanggan, Wildflower, Wansapanataym, iWant Originals Series, Tubig at Langis, Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids Season 1, Pilipinas Got Talent Season 6, Bayani, Hiraya Manawari and Sine'skwela.

On May 5, 2020, ABS-CBN was issued a cease-and-desist order by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and Solicitor General Jose Calida after the NTC refused to renew the network's franchise license earlier in February 2020. After meeting controversy and national outcry over the initial NTC refusal, ABS-CBN was initially allowed to operate under a temporary license, with support from both senate and congress. Investigations by various government offices showed that the company had no deficiencies or issues. There are allegations that the NTC refusal over the franchise renewal was based on the network's critical news coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration. The franchise license expired on May 4, 2020, and a day later, ABS-CBN officially signed off in the evening. This was the second time the network went off-air after the declaration of martial law by Former President Ferdinand Marcos on September 23, ABS-CBN was forced to suspend operations for all of its physical broadcasting channels (with the exception of Cine Mo!, Yey!, Kapamilya Box Office (KBO) through a blocktime agreement with the AMCARA Broadcasting Network in Metro Manila, Laguna, Iloilo and some portions of Baguio and the cable channels run by the Creative Programs subsidiary of the company). The franchise was in the process of renewal, but had however been delayed due to the extension of the enhanced community quarantine to May 15, 2020, 11 days after the scheduled expiration. The network went off-air at exactly 7:52 pm (PST) of May 5. On July 10, 2020, members of the House of Representatives, particularly the Committee on Legislative Franchises, voted 70–11 to deny the franchise application of ABS-CBN, citing several issues on the network's franchise. Only about 12.94% of the Congress voted for franchise renewal. As a result, the network is forced to cease the operations of some of its businesses and laid off its workers by the end of August 2020. Its President and CEO, Carlo Katigbak said the company remains committed to the public service, with hoping to find other ways to pursue their mission. According to a survey released by the Social Weather Stations or SWS that was released following the rejection of the network's franchise renewal, showed that an overwhelming majority (75%) of all Filipinos want the network back.

2020–present: Shifting to cable, new media and a content provider ABS-CBN shifted its focus on platforms that do not require legislative franchise. These include international licensing and distribution, digital and cable platforms, content syndication via different streaming services and block-timing with different TV networks.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News chief Ging Reyes, said the media network is set in shifting its operations online and she hopes that they could continue their good performance in terms of audience engagement, being the number one news digital property in the country. Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, ABS-CBN plans to create additional programs apart from TV Patrol and produce more online video content and rebuild ABS-CBN's current news affairs lineup in the future such as making documentaries.

Also in a separate interview with Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi, he said they are looking for new opportunities and that they would like to venture into international production and the prospect of going beyond the Philippine territory. ABS-CBN and Star Magic would like to be a major player locally and globally by partnering with Netflix, WeTV iflix, Viu and other over-the-top platforms for their content. Back in 2019, the network co-produced with American film production company Electric Entertainment for the crime drama television series Almost Paradise. It was the network's first taste of a North American production, and a second season of the series is in the planning stage.

On June 15, 2020, ABS-CBN announced its partnership with GMMTV, a leading content company in Thailand, as it bagged the television and over-the-top rights to air eight GMMTV drama series dubbed in Filipino and was shown on Kapamilya Channel and iWantTFC. First to air was the top-trending boys' love (BL) romantic comedy, 2gether: The Series. The sequel, Still 2gether, was also shown on August 15, 2020, with a one-day delayed telecast from Thailand. A stronger partnership between ABS-CBN and GMMTV is expected as they explore co-production of film and television content, music, and live entertainment. One of them is a virtual fan event called "BrightWin Manila: The Virtual Fan Meet" which was held via KTX on December 5, 2020, after the success of Hello Stranger: The Final FanCon due to the rising popularity of boys' love (BL) series during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both networks are also collaborating to co-produce a project starring one of 2gether: The series' lead actors and an ABS-CBN artist under Dreamscape Entertainment. The project is currently under development. On August 17, 2020, the drama series Ang sa Iyo ay Akin was the first original digital teleserye to be broadcast on Kapamilya Channel and Kapamilya Online Live during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the scenes were shot in the ABS-CBN Soundstage inside the Horizon IT Park in Bulacan. On April 13, 2021, ABS-CBN announced a collaboration with BBC and BBC Studios for the Philippine adaptation of Doctor Foster, entitled The Broken Marriage Vow. In June 2021, ABS-CBN promoted the Netflix anime series Trese (featuring a Filipino voice cast led by Liza Soberano) by replacing the logo outside the network's headquarters in Quezon City with the logo of ABC-ZNN, a fictional media company used in the anime series. In August 2021, ABS-CBN has acquired the anime series based on the hit mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, entitled The Legends of Dawn: The Sacred Stone. A GMMTV drama series F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers is also slated to air on the network's platforms. On June 4, 2020, ABS-CBN announced on TV Patrol that the cable-and-satellite Kapamilya Channel launched on June 13, serving as the interim replacement of ABS-CBN terrestrial network, and thus resuming the production of ABS-CBN's drama and live entertainment shows and the airing its entertainment, educational and current affairs programming, along with films. A high-definition counterpart was also launched on Sky Cable and Destiny Cable Channel 167 replacing the now-defunct ABS-CBN HD. On July 31, 2020, ABS-CBN announced the launch of Kapamilya Online Live, an online entertainment channel that will be streamed on two online video-sharing platforms without any subscription fee. It began to stream on August 1, 2020, and is available both on ABS-CBN Entertainment's YouTube channel and Facebook page as the network shifts efforts to digital platforms. Live-streams are presented in 1080p HD format. It also starts to offer a video on demand service of its shows accessible for seven days after their original streaming date.[76] ABS-CBN Entertainment currently has more than 60 million followers combined in Facebook and YouTube. Aside from Kapamilya Online Live, selected ABS-CBN shows are independently live-streaming on several YouTube channels and Facebook pages owned by the network. On May 7, 2020, two days after the halt of ABS-CBN's TV and radio broadcast, TV Patrol announced it would continue delivering the news through ABS-CBN News official YouTube channel and Facebook page via live-stream, geo-blocked in the Philippines. This was followed by The World Tonight on July 27, 2020. On June 13, 2020, It's Showtime: Online Ü resumed its broadcast on It's Showtime official YouTube channel and Facebook page simulcast from Kapamilya Channel. On November 11, 2020, ABS-CBN announced that viewers worldwide will have free access to TV Patrol on ABS-CBN News YouTube and Facebook account, lifting the geo-blocking to the said show while local viewers will also be able to live-stream and catch up on episodes of various ANC and TeleRadyo shows for the first time. ABS-CBN News completely lifted the use of geo-blocking to all of its content on March 1, 2021. On August 24, 2020, ABS-CBN announced that they will be merging iWant and TFC Online starting September 1 and will be migrating to a new system that will be accessible worldwide and will be called iWantTFC. It offers live video streamings and video on demand of content produced by ABS-CBN, new features such as offline viewing of select movies and series, as well as an enhanced viewing experience on bigger screens through select smart TV brands and digital media players. In early February 2021, seven TFC channels went live with Amagi cloud platform to consolidate its play-out operations on the cloud to expand its reach and gain greater flexibility. Amagi is a global leader in SaaS for broadcast and streaming TV. ABS-CBN now manages end-to-end workflow on the cloud, eliminating the need for expensive hardware and broadcast center operations, giving it the flexibility to run its global channels with live news from anywhere. Amagi clients include A+E Networks, beIN Sports, Discovery Networks, IMG and WarnerMedia, among others. The Filipino Channel also launched its new and improved programming lineup with the introduction of time blocks similar to Kapamilya Channel, new shows and more viewing options while it has successfully completed its migration to high-definition in all of its international feed on February 20, 2021, which is available in iWantTFC, TFC IPTV and TFC Direct via cable and satellite. Launched in August 2020, KTX also known as Kapamilya Tickets is an online ticketing and streaming platform which enables its users to purchase tickets to advance screening of ABS-CBN shows, movies, digital concerts and other event production attractions, as well as avail tickets to ABS-CBN programs to be part of their virtual audience via Zoom. Continuing its digital shift, ABS-CBN is turning to digital events through KTX while big live events are prohibited during the COVID-19 pandemic. It held its first digital fan conference that marked the finale of the BL series Hello Stranger which later was shown on Kapamilya Online Live and TFC. Originally launched in May 2017, KTX used to be a ticketing portal for ABS-CBN Studio Tour to shows such as It's Showtime and ASAP Natin 'To before the pandemic lockdown. Most notable digital shows handled by KTX include Miss Universe Philippines 2020, The Fact Music Awards 2020, BrightWin Manila: The Virtual Fan Meet, Freedom: Regine Velasquez-Alcasid Digital Concert and Sarah Geronimo Tala: The Film Concert. A new revamp on its web user interface was launched on March 30, 2021. The ABS-CBN Radio Service is an app that let its users to have access to the exclusive news, talk and music content directly from their mobile device no matter where they are located in the world. It live-streams audio from Teleradyo and the most recently added MOR Entertainment and MyxRadio[92] while latest podcast from selected ABS-CBN News and ANC programs such as TV Patrol are available on demand. The said app is part of ABS-CBN Digital Media division in partnership with Zeno Media[93] and is currently available on iOS and Android devices free of charge. Blocktime deals and partnership agreements In October 2020, ABS-CBN partnered with Kumu to launch the ninth season of reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother: Connect amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The app hosted online auditions for the reality show, which attracted over 100,000 new users, and it also live-streamed activities inside the Big Brother House when the show premiered. The partnership between the two parties entails greater visibility for ABS-CBN's artists and talents outside of mainstream media, with Kumu providing an alternative channel for said artists to connect with their large fan bases locally. It's currently live-streaming Game Ka Na Ba?, the first game show in the world to be watched on television and played on a mobile app, separate channels for FYE, MOR Entertainment, Myx, SeenZone as well as artist from BGYO, BINI, MNL48, Star Magic, Star Hunt, Polaris, Star Music and Rise Artist Studio. On October 6, 2020, ABS-CBN Corporation announced that they will air its shows and movies back on Free TV via the new "A2Z" channel starting October 10, 2020. It is a blocktime agreement between the media conglomerate and ZOE Broadcasting Network. A month later, Minority Leader and Congressman Joseph Stephen Paduano of Abang Lingkod Party List called for an investigation into the ABS-CBN-A2Z Channel 11 blocktime deal. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) were told to investigate. On January 18, 2021, ABS-CBN Corporation and TV5 were allegedly doing a partnership agreement to further expand the reach of Kapamilya Network on Free TV. There are some possible results that most of ABS-CBN shows and programs that were not able to be broadcast on ABS-CBN and ZOE's A2Z Channel 11 will be aired on TV5. On January 21, 2021, ABS-CBN jointly announced with TV5 and Cignal TV, in conjunction with Brightlight Productions, that both ASAP Natin 'To and the FPJ: Da King movie block will be simulcasted on the Kapatid network's lineup every Sunday afternoon beginning January 24, 2021. This also marks the first time that ABS-CBN programs will be aired on free-to-air television nationwide since the May 5, 2020 shutdown. Despite this development, both shows will continue to air on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (except FPJ: Da King), and A2Z Channel 11. On March 5, 2021, ABS-CBN and TV5/Cignal announced that TV5 will also simulcast the ABS-CBN Entertainment's primetime shows beginning March 8. On March 18, 2021, ABS-CBN and WeTV iflix announced a landmark partnership that brings the Kapamilya network's primetime programs, including FPJ's Ang Probinsyano to the two streaming platforms starting March 20, with early access for subscribed users. Viewers can watch brand new series first as it premieres on WeTV and iflix VIP 46 hours before it airs on local TV. On October 11, 2021, during the 26th Busan International Film Festival, iQiyi partnered with ABS-CBN to release two Philippine series exclusively on the streaming platform later this year. It is considered to be their first local originals in Southeast Asia.