Senate President Tito Sotto has filed a new bill that seeks to renew the franchise of ABS-CBN for 25 years.
Senator Sotto filed Senate bill 1967 on January 4, 2021 stressing the lack of a strong competitor in the market for news programs, and cited that stations seem to be replacing these with cartoons and anime shows.
“I noticed 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,” said Senator Sotto.
RELATED STORY: ABS-CBN to air entertainment shows on Channel 11
Earlier, the House of Representatives voted to deny the media giant another 25-year franchise, following weeks of hearings and deliberations that began late May 2020.
The House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted to “deny the application of ABS-CBN Corporation for a franchise to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain radio and broadcasting stations in the Philippines”, with 70 yes votes, 11 no votes, two inhibitions and one abstention.
It created a Technical Working Group (TWG) to discuss the findings and recommend a decision of the Committee on the application of the shuttered network.
In the findings that led to the resolution on July 10, it says, “By no means can this franchise application be related to press freedom.”
READ ON: FULL TEXT: House committee resolution denying ABS-CBN a new franchise
To date, ABS-CBN now only broadcasts some of its entertainment programs on free TV under A2Z channel 11, the newly branded Zoe TV network that started October 11 last year.
The network also currently operates through its online platforms, including social media, news websites, and video streaming services.
