TV5

History

Early years (1960–1986)

On June 19, 1960, Joaquin "Chino" Roces, owner of the Manila Times, obtained a radio-television franchise through Republic Act 2945. He established the Associated Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), with the initial studios located along Pasong Tamo in Makati, Rizal (now part of Metro Manila). ABC's first radio stations were DZMT (1100 kHz), DZTM (1380 kHz), and DZWS (1070 kHz). Established in July 1962 as DZTM-TV Channel 5, ABC became the seventh television network to operate in the Philippines. From July 1962 to September 1972, ABC operated radio and television services.

On September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law, resulting in the forced shutdown of ABC and the Manila Times.

Return and growth (1986–2003)

After the People Power Revolution in 1986, Chino Roces advocated for the network's reinstatement with President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino. Following Roces' death in 1988, his son Edgardo Roces along with Edward Tan took over efforts to revive the network. Tan and Roces secured approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission to increase capitalization. Soon after, they received a permit to operate from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). In 1990, ABC completed construction of its studio complex and transmitter tower in Barangay San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. Test broadcasts began later that year, featuring Japanese documentaries.

On February 21, 1992, the network returned to the air. The flagship station adopted the call sign DWET-TV under a new corporate entity as ABC Development Corporation, with Associated Broadcasting Company adopted as on-air and trade name, a nod to its pre-martial law incarnation.

Early in the network's revival, it expanded to Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Naga, Bacolod, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos. By the end of 1993, the network ranked third in ratings, with two more stations planned in 1994 ahead of its satellite broadcast launch.

In the 1990s, ABC aired a public service announcement titled Dial His Mother's Number daily at 6:00 pm, before the station ID and, on weekdays, the news program Balitang-Balita. It ran until 2004, after Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco purchased the network and became its CEO.

On February 4, 1994, ABC launched nationwide satellite broadcasting. The network experienced rapid growth under Chief Operating Officer Tina Monzon-Palma. On December 9, 1994, ABC obtained a 25-year legislative franchise through Republic Act No. 7831, which authorized the network to establish and operate television and radio stations countrywide.

In 1998, ABC began airing Three Minutes a Day with Father James Reuter, SJ, a short daily gospel reflection produced by the Family Rosary Crusade that aired from Monday to Saturday. It aired until ABC's final sign-off on August 8, 2008, the day before the network relaunched as TV5.

Cojuangco era (2003–2008)

In June 2003, the joint consortium of Tan and Roces sold ABC TV and radio stations to a group led by businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco Jr. Cojuangco, the former chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and owner of Dream Satellite TV and Bank of Commerce, formally acquired the assets in October of the same year. Cojuangco became the president and CEO of ABC, with Jose T. Pardo, a former secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, serving as the network's board chairman.

Under the new management, changes were made to the news and public affairs division, broadcast equipment was upgraded, and the network acquired broadcast rights for Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games. Network executives led by Roberto Barreiro coined a new slogan, "Iba Tayo!" ("We're Different!"), replacing "Come home to ABC!". ABC aimed to differentiate itself with fresh programming formats targeting the growing middle- to upper-class youth market. ABC continued to support the Family Rosary Crusade until August 3, 2008, days before its relaunch as TV5. The network featured the religious pre-identification campaign "Please Pray the Rosary" announcement before its programs, although this was gradually phased out during the programming revamp.

In 2005, ABC received the "Outstanding TV Station" award at the 2005 KBP Golden Dove Awards, and several programs on the network also received awards in their respective categories.

In early 2007, ABC implemented budget cuts that mainly affected its news department, resulting in significant layoffs and a diminished capacity for coverage before the 2007 general elections.

In November 2007, ABC launched new sports programming, including NBA basketball, professional boxing, and WWE events, as part of a five-year deal with Solar Entertainment. Due to high costs and poor ratings, the programs were dropped throughout 2008. The NBA review show House of Hoops was cut back and eventually cancelled by April 2008. The PBA, which was previously aired on ABC, did not have its contract renewed and instead found a new home on RPN through a partnership with Solar Entertainment, leading to RPN's privatization by Solar in 2011.

First TV5 era (2008–2018)

In March 2008, Cojuangco announced a partnership between ABC and MPB Primedia Inc., a local company backed by Media Prima Berhad of Malaysia. The partnership was a long-term strategy to enhance ABC's competitiveness in the network wars between ABS-CBN and GMA. MPB Primedia Inc. was established as an asset for Media Prima's proposed private equity fund to invest in media companies in Southeast Asia. Under the agreement, MPB Primedia Inc. produced and sourced entertainment programs, while ABC would continue to be responsible for news programming and station operations. In addition, MPB Primedia was granted rights to schedule and manage sales of ABC-5's airtime. Christopher Sy was appointed CEO of MPB Primedia, Inc., but resigned in January 2009 due to reported differences in management style.

ABC aired its final broadcast at around 22:00 PST on August 8, 2008, with its late-night newscast Sentro as the last program. A countdown to the Network's relaunch followed until 19:00 PST the next day when it officially rebranded as TV5; the TV5 brand was also used as the trade name of MPB Primedia in press releases and station notices, while ABC retained its trade name after the relaunch. The network retained its alternative programming line-up but aimed to cater to "Progressive Pinoys, including those 'young at heart'" to market classes C and D. TV5 also unveiled an upgraded 120-kilowatt stereo TV transmitter. Some ABC programs, such as Shall We Dance, Nick on TV5, Kerygma TV, Light Talk, and Sunday TV Mass, were carried over to TV5's line-up. The TV5 AniMEGA, a programming block focused on Japanese anime series, was launched on the network.

Under the new management, TV5's audience share increased from 1.9% in the second quarter of 2008 (before the rebranding) to 11.1% in September 2009. That same month, TV5 began airing two hours of Singaporean content produced by MediaCorp's studios division, mainly its Mandarin dramas and English sitcoms, dubbed in Filipino, such as The Little Nyonya starring Jeanette Aw, Darren Lim, Apple Hong and Eelyn Kok, Under One Roof starring Vernetta Lopez, Koh Chieng Mun, Moses Lim, Nicholas Lee and Daisy Irani Subaiah, and Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd starring Gurmit Singh and Irene Ang.

TV5 continued its partnership with the Family Rosary Crusade, which produced Holy Week specials including Ang Pitong Hapis ni Maria (2009), a Black Saturday special hosted by Father Erick Santos, Buhay ni Kristo (2012), and Sugo and Unos (2014). Its spin-off program Family Matters aired from 2010 to 2016.

The 5 Network era and reverting to TV5 (2018–2020)

On February 17, 2018, TV5 underwent a rebranding and was relaunched as the 5 Network or simply 5. The new logo dropped the word "TV" and was designed to be more flexible for use by the network's other divisions. The programming grid was divided into three blocks – ESPN5 for sports, News5 for news programs, and 'On 5' for other content. Additionally, D5 Studio focused on digital content, while Studio 5 produced Filipino productions for various platforms. The "Kapatid" ("sibling") moniker was de-emphasized during the period and was mainly used by News5 and ESPN5 for some programs. The network phased out Filipino-dubbed movies and foreign-acquired programming, which had been a practice since 2008, while Disney programs and movies aired in their original audio until 2019.

On January 13, 2019, TV5 introduced a variation of its 2018 logo, which included the respective websites of the division producing the program as part of their on-screen graphics following the launch of 5 Plus.

On April 22, 2019, TV5's legislative franchise was renewed for another 25 years under Republic Act No. 11320.

On June 3, 2019, Chot Reyes retired as TV5 President and CEO and was succeeded by Jane Basas, who led pay TV provider and radio company Cignal TV/Mediascape. Under Basas' leadership, the network outsourced news and sports programming from its co-owned Cignal channels, phased out daytime ESPN5 programs, focused on archived entertainment programs, and expanded movie blocks on 5 Plus. Plans for the network included retaining existing news programs and sports content in primetime and reintroducing original entertainment programming through outsourcing. Perci Interlan returned as the head of programming in November.

On February 4, 2020, Robert P. Galang was appointed as the new president and CEO of TV5 Network and Cignal TV, replacing Basas, who in turn was appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer of Smart Communications.

On March 8, 2020, 5 Plus was relaunched as One Sports, and the ESPN5 division was renamed and merged into the brand. The sports programming on 5 no longer carried the ESPN5 banner. The ESPN5 partnership continued online, with ESPN5.com serving as the sports portal of One Sports and ESPN in the Philippines until October 13, 2021. TV5 Network announced on the same day that 5 would be rebranded as One TV on April 13, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and disapproval from viewers and fans, the rebranding was postponed to July 20, until it was ultimately cancelled. The network returned to the TV5 brand on July 20, 2020, and introduced new Filipino-dubbed series.

Second TV5 era and collaboration with Cignal TV (2020–present)

On August 15, 2020, Channel 5 reverted to its former name, TV5, and announced a partnership with its sister company Cignal TV, which was tasked with handling its programming. The partnership with Cignal TV introduced a slate of new entertainment programs and collaborations with other networks, including GMA Network, RPN, ZOE Broadcasting Network's A2Z and AMBS' All TV. TV5 unveiled its first wave of entertainment programs produced by companies such as Archangel Media/APT Entertainment, Content Cows Company Inc., Luminous Productions Inc., Regal Entertainment, Viva Television, and Brightlight Productions. Additionally, shows from ABS-CBN that were affected by the network's franchise non-renewal were transferred to TV5. In mid-September 2020, TV5 announced a second wave of programs for October, including shows produced by Regal, Viva, APT Entertainment, Brightlight Productions, and News5.

On January 24, 2021, TV5 has aired selected programming produced by ABS-CBN Studios following the shutdown of its free-to-air network. Programs included ASAP XP (2021–present, now hookup with All TV since 2026), Primetime Bida and Yes Weekend! (select programs only, 2021–present, now hookup with All TV since 2024), FPJ: Da King (2021–2023, now returned on GMA Network as FPJ sa GMA since 2025), It's Showtime (2022–2023, now moved on both All TV and GMA Network since 2024), Nag-aapoy Na Damdamin and Pira-Pirasong Paraiso (2023–2024 as part of Kapamilya Gold and reruns in 2026), Magandang Buhay (2023–2024, later moved on All TV from 2024 to 2026), Rated Korina (2023–present, originally by Brightlight Productions when the show transferred to TV5 from October 24, 2020 to June 16, 2023, now hookup with All TV since 2025), Sunday Blockbusters (2024), and Blockbusters sa Umaga (2026–present, hookup with A2Z and All TV). TV5 suspended the airing of newly released ABS-CBN content from January 2 to June 21, 2026, due to a financial dispute that was later settled.

TV5 introduced its revamped programming under the slogan "TV5 TodoMax," dividing programs into five blocks: TodoMax Kids, TodoMax Serbisyo (Idol in Action), TodoMax Panalo (the afternoon programming lineup), TodoMax Primetime (Singko), and TodoMax Weekend.

Following the programming revamp, TV5 became the second most-watched TV network in prime-time TV ratings, according to AGB Nielsen, which conducts audience measurements for television ratings in specific areas of the Philippines. Primetime programs produced by MQuest Ventures/Cignal/TV5 Entertainment, in association with various content company (such as UXS, The IdeaFirst Company, Viva Entertainment, ABS-CBN Studios, APT Entertainment, Brightlight Productions, Regal Entertainment, Cornerstone Studios and other various productions), contributed to the achievement.

Branding

Network name changes

TV5, originally known as the Associated Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), has changed its name several times.

Associated Broadcasting Corporation (1960–1972): Founded by Joaquin "Chino" Roces in 1960, ABC was forced to shut down in 1972 due to the declaration of Martial Law by President Marcos.

Associated Broadcasting Company (1992–2008): Fully restored in 1992 after being granted a new franchise, ABC was led by new stockholders Edward Tan and Edgardo Roces. Businessman Antonio O. Cojuangco Jr. acquired the company in 2003.

TV5 (first era; 2008–2018): Renamed TV5 after entering a partnership with MPB Primedia, Inc., backed by the Malaysian media group Media Prima Berhad. In 2010, Media Prima divested its share to MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., led by Manuel V. Pangilinan. The TV5 branding became obsolete when the network was relaunched as "5" on February 17, 2018.

5 (The 5 Network) (2018–2020): TV5 was rebranded as The 5 Network or simply 5 in 2018. The network used a numerical 5 logo and divided its programming grid into news, sports, and entertainment. However, the TV5 branding was still used to refer to both the network itself and the company, as well as for sign-on and sign-off messages, social media accounts, and selected program teasers. "The 5 Network" branding was retired on August 14, 2020, but the numerical 5 logo variant from 2019 was retained. The "5" naming was reinstated in 2021 for TV5's slogan, "Iba sa 5".

One TV (cancelled; 2020): Originally planned for rebranding on April 13, 2020, and later rescheduled for July 20, 2020, One TV was ultimately cancelled due to viewer confusion and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, thus making the network revert to the TV5 branding.

TV5 (second era; 2020–present): TV5 was officially restored as the network's full-time identity on August 15, 2020, coinciding with the return of local entertainment programs. The "TV5" is commonly used for program teasers on TV, radio, and social media.

Programming

TV5 was relaunched in 2008 and gained popularity for its AniMEGA anime programming block. It introduced Filipino-dubbed Japanese anime series to Philippine television, including Code Geass, Azumanga Daioh and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. AniMEGA returned across several relaunches; it aired again in both 2015 and 2017 and partnered with Aniplus Asia to bring shows such as Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan: Junior High and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?. The network also gained attention for its original horror drama series Midnight DJ (2008–2011) and its broadcast of Filipino-dubbed Singaporean series The Little Nyonya, Under One Roof, and Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd.

TV5 also aired a number of tabloid talk shows that often featured heated on-air confrontations, such as Face to Face.

In 2013, TV5 introduced the Weekend Do It Better and Everyday All The Way programming blocks, but many programs were discontinued due to low ratings. In 2014, the network launched a new set of programs under the "Happy Ka Dito!" campaign.

In 2015, TV5 refocused on light entertainment, lifestyle and sports with the "Happy sa 2015" campaign, introducing over a dozen new programs. During this time, TV5's entertainment programming was produced by various content providers, including MQ Studios, Unitel Productions, Viva Television, Regal Entertainment, The IdeaFirst Company, and Content Cows Company Inc. In 2015, TV5 named Sari-Sari Channel its main entertainment production outfit after signing a deal with Viva Entertainment.

In 2016, the network aired The Walking Dead and La Reina del Sur, both dubbed in Filipino. The same year, director Brillante Mendoza collaborated with TV5 to produce made-for-TV movies under the Brillante Mendoza Presents umbrella. In 2018, he also premiered a crime drama series titled Amo.

In 2017, the network began to broadcast NFL games, which would continue until 2019. Selected local shows from the Sari-Sari Channel were also shown under the Sari-Sari sa Weekends banner. Brillante Mendoza's crime drama series Amo premiered in 2018 after a long delay.

Broadcast stations

TV5 operates its local owned and operated or affiliate television stations across 21 key areas in the Philippines, including its flagship DWET-TV (TV5 Manila). The network has six owned and operated relay stations and twelve affiliate relay stations. It had originating stations in Cebu and Davao until they were shut down and converted into relay stations or semi-satellites.

Affiliate stations

*Analog broadcast will set to shut off on November 22, 2026 in compliance with NTC's memorandum circular.

International broadcast

TV5 has international programs through the Kapatid Channel in various regions including the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Controversies

Lawsuit by GMA Network

In December 2008, GMA Network, Citynet Television, and ZOE Broadcasting Network filed a lawsuit against ABC, MPB, and MPB Primedia, alleging that TV5's lease of airtime to Media Prima was an attempt to circumvent regulations on foreign ownership of broadcasting companies. In response, ABC's media relations head, Pat Marcelo-Magbanua, defended the network, stating that it was a Filipino company that complied with local regulations.

Investment briefing with ABS-CBN deal

In June 2022, ABS-CBN engaged in advanced talks with MediaQuest Holdings, TV5's parent company, to explore a potential partnership. This came after Advanced Media Broadcasting System, backed by the Villar Group, acquired ABS-CBN's former frequency and launched the All TV 2, which would eventually simulcast several programs produced by ABS-CBN nearly two years later. On August 10, 2022, ABS-CBN and MediaQuest Holdings signed a convertible note agreement for ABS-CBN's investment in TV5 Network, acquiring 34.99% of the company's common shares with an option to increase the stake to 49.92% within the next eight years. MediaQuest Holdings remained the controlling shareholder with 64.79% of TV5's common shares. Additionally, MediaQuest Holdings acquired a 38.88% minority stake in ABS-CBN's cable TV arm, Sky Cable Corporation, through Cignal TV, with an option to acquire an additional 61.12% of Sky Cable shares within the next eight years. The partnership agreement was terminated on September 1 of that year following concerns from politicians and government agencies.

Sexual abuse lawsuit

In August 2024, TV5 conducted a criminal inquiry regarding the alleged sexual harassment complaint by a 22-year-old talent researcher who worked for the program Budol Alert against a News5 program manager, Cliff Gingco, which happened at a hotel in Pasig on July 23. TV5 released a "Notice to Explain" after Senator Raffy Tulfo's discussion on Wanted sa Radyo and Raffy Tulfo in Action regarding the previous reports to the Ortigas Police sub-station, TV5's executives, and the HR management. TV5 dismissed Gingco from the service.