The Filipino Channel
| The Filipino Channel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | September 24, 1994 |
| Owned by | ABS-CBN Corporation |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Slogan | 20 Years of TFC: Galing ng Filipino, Ituloy Mo! |
| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Filipino, English |
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Headquarters |
|
| Sister channel(s) | ABS-CBN News Channel, ABS-CBN Sports + Action, Cinema One, Lifestyle, Myx TV |
| Website | TFC.tv |
The Filipino Channel (or TFC) is a global subscription television channel based in Redwood City, California with major offices in Australia, Canada, Europe (Hungary and Netherlands), Japan, Middle East, and Manila. It is owned and operated by the Filipino media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. TFC is available globally on direct-to-home satellite, cable, IPTV, online streaming, video on demand and on other over-the-top content platforms. TFC is targeted to Filipino expatriates and their families. TFC was launched on September 24, 1994 becoming the first trans-Pacific Asian broadcaster in the world.
Its programming is composed primarily of imported programs from the ABS-CBN network, a national television network in the Philippines.[1] Today, The Filipino Channel has over 3 million subscribers worldwide most of which are in United States, Middle East, Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan.[2]
History
On September 24, 1994, then ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation (now ABS-CBN Corporation) through its newly established subsidiary ABS-CBN International signed a historic deal with the PanAmSat to bring the first trans-Pacific Asian programming service to some two million Filipino immigrants in the United States using the then-newly launched PAS 2 satellite.[3]
The first headquarters of TFC was built in a garage in Daly City, California with only eight employees doing all the tasks from managing the phones, the computers, and the likes.[4] By 1995, TFC has grown to 25,000 subscribers in the United States.
In 1998, TFC Direct! was launched, an independently operated direct-to-home television service that incorporates the TV channels Sarimanok News Network (now ABS-CBN News Channel), Pinoy Blockbuster Channel (now Cinema One), Pinoy Central (Renamed as Kapamilya Channel, then replaced by Bro, and now replaced by ABS-CBN Sports + Action), and the radio channels DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 and WRR 101.9 For Life! (now MOR 101.9).[5]
By 2004, TFC had grown to 250,000 subscribers in the United States. This growth led to the expansion of TFC to other territories in the world.[6]
In 2005, ABS-CBN International signed an affiliation agreement with DirecTV, one of the leading DTH providers in the United States. Under the deal, DirecTV has the exclusive right to distribute the TFC package on its DTH platform. In return, DirecTV will pay license fees to ABS-CBN and to ABS-CBN International.[7] Later that year, the now defunct internet television service TFC Now! was launched. TFC Now! was later replaced by TFC.tv video streaming website. In this year, ABS-CBN International acquired San Francisco International Gateway from Loral Space & Communications. SFIG is a telecommunications port company based in Richmond, California. SFIG provides satellite communications services through its 2.5 acre (1 hectare) facility consisting of 19 satellite dish antennas and 9 modular equipment buildings. Also in this year, ABS-CBN International opened its state-of-the-art studio and office in Redwood City, California.[8] ABS-CBN International received Federal Communications Commission licensing approval in April 2006. In 2006, SFIG successfully handled the pay per view distribution to In Demand and DirecTV for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar Larios super featherweight championship title fight. SFIG's customers include Discovery Communications, CBS, ESPN, Playboy among others. SFIG is a member of the World Teleport Association.[9]
In 2007, ABS-CBN International launched myx (now Myx TV), the first and only television channel in the United States that is targeted to the Asian-American youth audience.[10] As of 2011, TFC had over 2.47 million subscribers worldwide.[1] As of 2015, The Filipino Channel has over three million subscribers worldwide most of which are in United States, Middle East, Australia, Japan, Europe, and Canada.
Programming
The programming of The Filipino Channel is composed primarily of imported programs from the ABS-CBN network, a national television network in the Philippines. The program line-up include delayed broadcast of programs from the Philippines (excluding acquired foreign programs from abroad such as anime, NBA, and Asian movies and TV series) as well as archived TV shows, series, specials, movies, and live sports events from the Philippines. Original programming is also produced by ABS-CBN International – mostly news and talk shows.
Studio TFC
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Jing Reyes, substituting for Gel Santos-Relos in Balitang America.
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Adobo Nation, an original program taping from Studio TFC.
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A show for Myx TV in Studio TFC.
References
- 1 2 Valisno, Jeffrey (14 June 2012). "Pinoy TV goes international". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ P. Valdueza, Rolando (April 24, 2015). 2014 Annual Report (17-A) (Report). Philippine Stock Exchange. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ↑ Jessel, Harry; Taishoff, Lawrence (2010). "Television and Radio". Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
- ↑ "A Journey of Triumph of the Filipino Spirit" (PDF). ABS-CBN International. 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ "The Filipino Channel: Bringing overseas Pinoys closer to home". The Philippine Star. 24 March 2003. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ Katigbak, Antonio (11 April 2004). "ABS-CBN's The Filipino Channel marks a decade of steady growth". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ Villanueva, Paul Michael (31 December 2011), ABS-CBN 17-A 2011, Scribd.com, p. 8, retrieved 9 August 2012
- ↑ "Customer Showcase: ABS-CBN". Advanced Systems Group.
- ↑ "ABS-CBN International". World Teleport Association. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ "StudioTFC". ABS-CBN International. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
External links
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