More viewers are embracing the benefits of digital terrestrial television (DTT) as ABS-CBN TVplus, the country’s pioneering DTT product has sold 7 million boxes as of February, on its fourth anniversary.
The number of households eager to experience crystal clear TV viewing of exclusive DTT channels continues to grow as CineMo and YeY kept their spot as the third and fourth most watched channels, respectively, based on Kantar Media’s Q4 2018 report of DTT households nationwide. Meanwhile, after being launched as among TVplus’ new channels last year, Jeepney TV claimed the fifth spot followed by Movie Central and Asianovela Channel on the sixth and eighth rank.
On the other hand, KBO has attracted 1.2M unique TVplus customers who register to watch Filipino movies, some of which are fresh off the cinema. KBO is also more accessible since registration to the service is now open to all networks.
ABS-CBN, which is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company, is the first media and entertainment company in the country to make the historic switch from analog to digital terrestrial television to transform the TV viewing experience of Filipinos.
2018 was also a remarkable year for ABS-CBN TVplus since it saw a growing number of non-cabled homes that have shifted to digital TV.
According to a Kantar Media establishment survey last August 2018, 72 percent of non-cabled homes in Metro Manila have an ABS-CBN TVplus box, versus 55 percent in August 2017. Likewise, the number of non-cabled homes with a TVplus box rose in Mega Manila with 65 percent from 44 percent, while those in the suburbs grew to 57 percent from 33 percent in the same period last year.
TVplus users even had more entertainment choices last year with the introduction of five new ABS-CBN TVplus exclusive channels such as Asianovela Channel, the first and only channel on digital free TV that airs uncut Asian dramas and movies and Movie Central, the first all-English movie channel on digital free TV. MYX, Jeepney TV, and O Shopping, a home TV shopping channel, complete the additional channel line-up of ABS-CBN TVplus. The free trial of the new channels has been extended this 2019.
In November 2018, ABS-CBN TVplus added Batangas as its 16th signal coverage area, accelerating ABS-CBN’s mission to lead the country’s migration from analog to digital before the government mandated deadline for all broadcasting companies to switch to digital broadcast by 2023.
Besides Batangas, ABS-CBN TVplus continuously expands its signal coverage areas that also include Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Tarlac, Benguet, Cavite, Metro Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Davao.
More and more Filipinos have also experienced the benefits of ABS-CBN TVplus through various activities in different areas in the country such as the Sorpresaya Truck event that brings Kapamilya stars to remote provinces, among others.