ABS-CBN Corp. said it has expanded the coverage of its digital terrestrial television (DTT) service to include Batangas.
“Batangas is the 16th signal coverage area of ABS-CBN TVplus, accelerating further the network’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,” the Lopez-led media giant said in a statement over the weekend.
The country is undergoing a shift to digital television by 2023. The government plans to switch off the analog system under its Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Migration Plan that started last year.
ABS-CBN said it has already sold 6.2 million units of ABS-CBN TVplus since it was launched in 2015. In Manila, the company said 71.6% of non-cabled households have already moved to adopt the DTT product as of August this year from 55% in the same month last year based on an establishment survey from Kantar Media.
It also said DTT penetration in Mega Manila has reached 64.7% of non-cabled households as of August from only 44% last year, and 57% of households in the suburbs this year from only 33% last year.
“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,” it added.
GMA Network, Inc. also revealed its plans earlier this year to come up with its own DTT product that would convert analog television to digital. The listed firm said it is investing P700 million for the project and is tapping a manufacturer in China for the device. — Denise A. Valdez
