Aksyon TV was a Philippinefree-to-air television network. It was a joint venture of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and TV5 Network, Inc., both under PLDT media arm MediaQuest Holdings. Its programs were primarily produced by TV5's divisions News5 and ESPN5. AksyonTV formerly broadcasts terrestrially through DWNB-TV in Metro Manila, as well as on UHF channel 29 in Cebu, Davao and other relay stations, and on a digital subchannel via channel 5.2 in Metro Manila. It occupies the frequency previously used by MTV Philippines, a subsidiary of MTV Networks Asia Pacific until 2006. Named after 5's newscast, Aksyon, it started broadcasting on February 21, 2011, as an all-news channel, with simulcasts from Radyo5 and independently produced newscasts from News5. It has also carried-over sports coverages due to shutdown of sports primetime block AKTV in May 2013 due to high airtime costs and low ratings caused by IBC's impending privatization. Its main broadcast facilities are located at TV5 Media Center, Reliance cor. Sheridan Sts., Mandaluyong City. It was the first and only 24-hour news channel on free-to-air TV and the first 24-hour Filipino language news channel until December 1, 2013. It formerly operates daily from 5:00 AM to 12:00 MN. The program line-up of AksyonTV also includes news analysis, documentaries and talk shows, as well as entertainment and other news and sports-related programs. On November 30, 2018, TV5 Network announced that AksyonTV would be rebranded as 5 Plus on January 13, 2019, with its programs consisting mostly of sport events. AksyonTV silently ended its broadcast on January 12, 2019, with ESPN5's Heavy Hitters as its last program to air on the network.
History
Originally, local UHF channel 41 was intended to broadcast local programming under the supervision of Nation Broadcasting Corporation. Sometime in 2000, MTV Networks Asia Pacific, operator of MTV brand in Asia wanted to transmit its music channel on terrestrial television in the Philippines. Eventually, MTV Networks Asia Pacific entered into an agreement with Nation Broadcasting Corporation to transmit its localize music channel via its UHF channel and started broadcasting MTV Philippines on January 1, 2001, until the partnership ended on February 15, 2007. In March 2010 MediaQuest Holdings, a PLDT subsidiary, the Philippines' largest telecommunication company, announced the acquisition of ABC Development Corporation, broadcaster of TV5 from the joint consortium led by former PLDT Chairman Antonio "Tonyboy" O. Cojuangco, Jr. and Malaysia-based broadcaster Media Prima Berhad. In October 2010, through its flagship station, it took over the management of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and its radio and television businesses, particularly 92.3 News FM and UHF channel 41. Consequently, UHF channel 41 went on air and began its initial test broadcast of its radio station 92.3 News FM from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.. In December 2010, ABC Development Corporation announced plans to launch its own news and sport-related channel. On February 21, 2011, AksyonTV started its commercial broadcast launched as TV5 introduced the new UHF channel. was launched at exactly 4 am, airing its first program, Andar ng Mga Balita, hosted by Martin Andanar, which was a simulcast of the morning news program on Radyo5 News FM of the same title. In June 2013, several sports programs from IBC 13's defunct blocktimer AKTV were carried over to AksyonTV. This was done by the TV5 Network, Inc. management after the deal expired on May 2013. News and public affairs programs were either moved to a new timeslot or canceled. Since December 2013, AksyonTV removed its 24-hour broadcasting activities due to cost-cutting measures by the management as well as NTC's rules and regulations for affiliated free-to-air TV stations. Since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, AksyonTV is one of the official Olympics broadcasters in the Philippines, together with TV5 and Cignal. Since July 21, 2014, AksyonTV ceased producing any independent newscasts including news advisories. This was done after TV5 unified all of its newscasts under the Aksyon brand. Since October 2015, AksyonTV dropped its simulcast of the PBA games after the move of the Filsports Basketball Association from PTV as part of PTV-4 reorganization and the taped airing of the PCBL and other PSL games on the same network every weeknights and weekends. In 2016, AksyonTV further improved its sports programming, starting the year with the return of thePBA D-League on Sports5 and being the second home of the UFC and the PGA tour after its parent network TV5 and satellite channel Hyper. By December 19, 2016, AksyonTV moved from Cignal Channel 1 to Channel 6. In 2017, AksyonTV begins to reformat itself to complement sister station TV5, as the network started airing reruns of American series that air or aired on the station, including Arrow and Supernatural, as well as Movie Max 5 block and home shopping in lieu of live sports programming. In December of the same year, the channel also added classic TV5 local programming. The network also expanded its broadcast hours till 1:00 am on selected days. This move, almost similarly done by its counterpart, GMA News TV, was heavily criticized by viewers, putting news programs and coverage on-hold for these programming of the two free-TV news channels. Cignal, a sister company of TV5, soon launched its 24-hour satellite news channel, One News which combines news content of the media companies owned by MediaQuest, including News5 on May 28, 2018. On November 30, 2018, it was announced that on January 13, 2019, the reformat is finally completed when the network relaunched as 5 Plus. The network's programming is primarily sports, with additional coverage from ESPN5, along with sports-related content which will target millennials. 5 Plus also competes with rival S+A, which carries the same format. Selected Radyo5 simulcast programs later moved to a new stand-alone satellite channel One PH, at the satellite service, Cignal. Public service program Buhay OFW and home shopping block EZ Shop are the only non-sports programs from AksyonTV to be carried to 5 Plus.
Final Programming
AksyonTV was presented in English and Filipino languages. Programming was distributed equally between newscasts, sports, live coverage of important news events, and talk shows. AksyonTV's programs also comprised a combination of live news reports, documentaries and current affairs. Its lineup of programming draws upon TV5's own resources and its news partners. It also aired programs simulcast from Radyo5 92.3 News FM and news programs of The 5 Network. After AKTV on IBC 13closed shop, all sports programs of AKTV and Sports5 were moved to AksyonTV. The channel also started aired foreign entertainment programs that aired on TV5 from 2017 until January 31, 2019, though it is only considered as filler to the network's programming.
International
It was announced in early 2011 that it would launch an international channel to support AksyonTV's local presence. In July 2011, Pilipinas Global Network Ltd., a company owned by PLDT, Inc. and ABC Development Corporation based in British Virgin Islands will oversee the operation of AksyonTV International. The news channel will be primarily accessible to viewers in the Middle East, North Africa and some parts in Europe and North America. Despite the closure of its domestic network on January 13, 2019, Aksyon TV International remains operational; airing local sports and public affairs programs from 5 Plus and Radyo5 simulcasts - now airing in One PH, a "teleradyo" domestic satellite TV channel.
Controversy
On March 16, 2011, ABC Development Corporation and Nation Broadcasting Corporation filed a complaint to the local regulator in the Philippines, the National Telecommunications Commission against Sky Cable Corporation, one of ABS-CBN Corporation subsidiaries, broadcaster of ABS-CBN and TV5's competitor. In its complaint, ABC and NBC criticized SkyCable for its inaction to the request of the latter and subsequently non-inclusion of AksyonTV to its lineup, despite local laws instructing all cable and satellite companies operating in the Philippines to carry all free-to-air networks. Under Memorandum Circular 4-08-88, all entities in the cable and satellite businesses are required to include all free-to-air channels on its system regardless of its capabilities. SkyCable on the other hand revoke its compliance to the order due to system capacity and will conform once an additional facility is in place. On April 1, 2011, SkyCable announces the inclusion of AksyonTV on its channel lineup effective May 4, 2011 but made it earlier on April 30, four days from the planned May 4 launch. On July 2011, it was moved from Channel 61 to Channel 59 on SkyCable.
