Senate Bill filed to renew ABS-CBN franchise

Senate President Tito Sotto has recently filed a new bill that seeks ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal.

Sotto’s Senate Bill No. 1967 seeks to grant ABS-CBN a new license to operate its television and radio broadcasting stations.

Sotto recognized that television plays as the primary source of news. The filing is backed with data from the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey in September 2020, which states that 69% or 45.8 million adults use TV as the primary news source.

As reported by ABS-CBN News, Sotto has told reporters in a text message that he discerned that TV stations have been replacing their news programs with animes. “It means competition is absent and mediocrity is creeping in because of the absence of a strong competitor like ABS-CBN,” Sotto has mentioned in a text message.

Furthermore, Sotto also recognized that despite ABS-CBN’s absence from free TV and radio stations, the TV network continued to get high ratings on various platforms where select Kapamilya shows continue to air.

The Senate President also cited data from Kantar Media regarding the viewership in the Philippines. “In September, ABS-CBN is still the top choice of viewers in the Philippines… as the network registered an average audience share of 45 percent or 14 points higher than GMA’s 31 percent,” He stated.

Moreover, the bill seeks to grant the Kapamilya network another 25 years from the Act’s effectivity date.

Back in July 2020, ABS-CBN failed to renew its license to operate after the House Legislative Committee disapproves its franchise renewal.

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Source: ABS-CBN News