PHILIPPINES, MARCH 16, 2011 – TV5 filed a letter of complaint today with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) concerning Pilipino Cable Corporation’s “continued refusal to include UHF Channel 41 in its Sky Cable channel line-up.”
Previously, on February 18, 2011, TV5, through its Legal Department Head Atty. Christine Ona, sent Pilipino Cable Corporation a letter informing the latter that AksyonTV (UHF Channel 41 on free TV) would commence its broadcast on February 21, 2011. By means of the same letter, TV5 thus requested Pilipino Cable Corporation for the channel assignment of the said free-to-air channel on Sky Cable. AksyonTV is TV5’s 24-hour news and sports channel on the UHF band.
However, despite TV5’s aforesaid letter-request for Sky Cable’s compliance with the NTC’s “must carry” rule on the broadcast of free TV channels by all cable operators, Pilipino Cable Corporation has to date not acceded to TV5’s request for inclusion of its AksyonTV UHF Channel 41 in Sky Cable’s channel line-up.
At any rate, in its letter-complaint filed today with the NTC, TV5 cites Pilipino Cable Corporation’s “clear act of unfair trade competition” and accordingly requests the NTC to sanction Pilipino Cable Corporation for its “highly illegal acts” that are “prejudicial to the rights of [TV5].” In addition, TV5 calls on the NTC to “investigate the matter” and “impose appropriate penalties” against Pilipino Cable Corporation for the cable operator’s alleged unfair trade practice. Pilipino Cable Corporation is owned and controlled by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, a competitor of TV5 and AksyonTV.
