TV5 Network, Inc. expects its digital content partnership with ESPN, Inc. to boost advertising revenues in the second half.
TV5 President Vincent “Chot” P. Reyes said that since the launch of ESPN5.com in January, advertising revenues have been coming in.
“ESPN5.com we launched this in January, it’s barely two months or three months, [but] advertising revenue is coming in. I’d be very honest it’s not as big as we want it to be but we’re barely two months in existence so that will take time to even grow some more. But we really like the prospect,” Mr. Reyes told reporters on the sidelines of a TV5 event on Tuesday.
Mr. Reyes is confident the website will attract more advertisers.
“Hopefully in the second half. Ganun naman sa digital world, when you get a certain level of views and engagement and following, then the revenues are going to come so we have to build it up first. But we don’t expect it to take too long. I think starting the second half, we will get some scale in our digital revenues,” he said.
Aside from the Philippine Basketball Association and International Basketball Federation live streams, Mr. Reyes said ESPN’s editorial pieces and features helped make it the number one sports website in the country.
“When you talk about the partnership between TV5 and ESPN, you have to talk about the digital piece not only TV. It’s a whole ecosystem. They’re helping us with these live events, television, online. That was really the plan, the evolution of TV5 that we’re able to become a big player in the digital space,” he said.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo
