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Solar Entertainment Corporation (simply known as Solar or SEC) is a
Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
media company Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit information e ...
based in
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
,
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. Founded and owned by the brothers, Wilson, William and Willy Tieng. Solar Entertainment operates two digital free-to-air channels and two cable channels. Solar also owns a film distribution company (Solar Pictures) and defunct
freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...
digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...
service ( Easy TV Home).


History


Film production and distribution

Solar Entertainment was founded and established by the brothers William Tieng, Wilson Tieng and Willy Tieng in 1976. Solar Films was then formed in 1988 (one of the first films that distributed by Solar Films is
Rambo III ''Rambo III'' is a 1988 American action film directed by Peter MacDonald and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also reprises his role as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. A sequel to '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985), it is the third in ...
of
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
), bringing international films (and later, local films since 2009) to the Philippines. Since 2012, Solar has collaborated with independent film director
Brillante Mendoza Brillante "Dante" Mendoza (born 30 July 1960) is a Filipino independent filmmaker. Mendoza is known one of the key members associated with the Filipino New Wave. Career He was born and raised in San Fernando, Pampanga. He took advertising ...
for a multiple film contract. On March 18, 2015, Solar launched the Sinag Maynila film festival is, which featured five films from a talented group of directors, each with a different vision and approach. The films were shown in select SM Cinemas from March 18 to 24, 2015. The winners were announced at the “Gabi ng Parangal” on March 22. On April 2, 2004, Solar announced that they distribute films from
United International Pictures United International Pictures (UIP) is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures that distributes their films outside the United States and Canada. UIP also had international distribution rights to certain Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer an ...
(UIP, an
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
of
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
's
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
and
Vivendi Universal Vivendi SE is a French mass media holding company headquartered in Paris. Widely known as the owner of Gameloft, Groupe Canal+, Havas, Editis, Prisma Media, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion, the company has activities in television, film, video ...
's
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
) in the Philippines starting with
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
's ''
Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the seco ...
'' from May 21, 2004, until an temporary restraining order stopping UIP's operations in the country in March 2014.


Cable television

On January 1, 1994, Solar launched on cable television as the Solar Entertainment Channel. On December 22, 2000, Solar acquired Domestic Satellite Philippines Inc. (DOMSAT) from the Philippine government through
Presidential Commission on Good Government The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) is a quasi-judicial government agency of the Philippines whose primary mandate is to recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by Ferdinand Marcos, his immediate family, relatives, subordin ...
after Solar won the bidding for the franchise and assets formerly owned by DOMSAT, making DOMSAT a 100% Solar subsidiary. As a result, DOMSAT’s teleport is being used by Solar to produce, originate, and distribute its various television program services. Its full service digital broadcast teleport features server technology facility located in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Sumulong Highway,
Antipolo Antipolo, officially known as the City of Antipolo ( fil, Lungsod ng Antipolo), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 887,399 people. It is the mo ...
, Rizal. It is built around two encoder platforms, Scientific Atlanta Power Vu Classic(DVB) and Motorola Digicipher II(MPEG-@). Program origination is done on a SeaChange Media Cluster Server System. The facility includes a 500-square-meter studio and various linear and non-linear production bays. Solar Entertainment first launched its namesake entertainment cable channel in the early 2000s, one devoted to American programs. This channel was later known as Solar USA (the acronym stands for "Ultimate in Suspense and Action"), and then later simply as USA before it was replaced by two separate channels. In January 17, 2004, Solar launched on cable sports alternative channel as Sports Plus. On March 1, 2004, Solar Entertainment launched
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
or Entertainment Central, which is positioned as the country’s premier cable female entertainment channel. ETC is a platform that brings its audience closer to their aspirational lifestyle, as embodied by their idols. On April 5, 2005, it test launched delivering debuting service. Intended for a predominantly male audience, the company launched the country’s leading general entertainment cable channel,
Jack TV Jack TV (stylised as JACK TV) is an online web portal owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation and based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was known as a Philippine pay television network mainly offering multi-genre programming from the United ...
, in July. On October 15, 2005, Solar Entertainment launched a crime and action cable channel, Crime/Suspense or C/S. On December 15, 2005, Solar Entertainment launched a spin-off channel to ETC, ETC 2nd Avenue, a lifestyle and general entertainment channel. Started as a test broadcast on December 15, 2005, and had its full launch in 2006. The channel was later renamed as 2nd Avenue on January 17, 2007. On October 1, 2006, Sports Plus ceased broadcasting and replaced by the
Basketball TV Basketball TV or BTV was a Philippine pay television sports channel with offices on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. It was owned by the Solar Entertainment Corporation. It was launched on October 1, 2006, rebranding the Sports Plus channel. On Se ...
channel formed by Solar, while moving most of Sports Plus programs to
Solar Sports Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. " solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indica ...
.


As a broadcast company

On January 1, 2008, Solar Entertainment Corporation began to lease block airtime with terrestrial TV networks, RPN, SBN and RJTV. The move was a result of
SkyCable Sky Cable (stylized as SKYcable) is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of t ...
pulling out C/S, ETC, and 2nd Avenue from the cable company's lineup at their own right. Those three started carrying shows from Solar's, with C/S on RPN,
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
on SBN, and 2nd Avenue on RJTV. On May 22, 2009, a victory party for Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, who just became the new IBO (International Boxing Organization) and ''Ring Magazine'' Light Welterweight Champion, was held at the Renaissance Hotel in
Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
, in partnership with
GMA Network Inc. GMA Network, Inc., commonly known as GMA, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries dealing in various media related businesses. ...
Solar and GMA executives at that time signed for a partnership in TV coverage of Manny Pacquiao's upcoming boxing matches. The C/S cable channel was later rebranded as C/S Origin in September 2008, while the RPN network later changed its branding to
C/S 9 C/S (originally known as Crime/Suspense) is an entertainment channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation. It shows mostly American crime and suspense dramas, mysteries, reality, science fiction and action shows. It is the successor to Sola ...
the next month. On November 29, 2009, Solar rebranded C/S9 as
Solar TV Solar TV (stylized as SOLARtv) was the flagship television network of Solar Entertainment Corporation's television arm subsidiary Solar TV Network, Inc., which is the replacement of C/S 9. This was the revival of the former Solar channel Solar ...
at 11:00 am with a slogan ''It's A Bright New World'' on RPN. On October 31, 2010, it changed some of its programming content to English/Tagalog with a new slogan ''Kung Saan Lahat Panalo!''. In mid-2010, GemCom sold all of its 97% equity share in SBN to Solar for Php 368.8 million. Since then, SBN became a fully owned subsidiary of Solar. On February 11, 2011, SEC partnered with
ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation which is owned by t ...
to air
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA) games over free TV starting February 19, 2011. The games are aired on
Studio 23 Studio 23 (officially Studio 23, Inc. and previously AMCARA Broadcasting Network) was a Filipino television network owned by ABS-CBN Corporation. The network was named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV and carried on UHF chann ...
(now ABS-CBN Sports and Action later known as
S+A S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...
) and
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
, but Solar still airs the games daily on BTV. On March 2, 2011, after SEC acquired 34 percent of RPN's shares from the Philippine government as part of RPN/IBC privatization in 2011, Solar TV finally ventured into news at the end of 2011. On that same day, ETC moved to RPN while TalkTV launched over SBN. TalkTV was formed by then Solar-owned Solar Television Network. The first programs that aired on the channel were ''
Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasion ...
'', ''
Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
'', Today's Talk, ''
NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...
'', ''
Inside Edition ''Inside Edition'' is an American news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed in first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine program that is n ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' and ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
''. On April 8, 2011, Solar Entertainment Corporation launched
The Game Channel The Game Channel (abbreviated TGC, stylized as tgc from January 2014 – February 2015) was a Filipino cable and satellite television network owned and produced by Solar Entertainment Corporation who also created the networks My Movie Channel, N ...
on
Destiny Cable Destiny Cable (formerly Global Destiny Cable and stylized as DESTINY CABLE) was a direct-to-home cable television subscription service based in Quezon City. Destiny Cable was the 2nd largest cable TV provider in the Philippines. It was owned by ...
. It conducted its initial test broadcast from April 8, 2011, until September 29. It then began airing on
BEAM Channel 31 DWKC-DTV, Channel 31, is a flagship digital television station of Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media, Inc. Its head office are located at 3rd floor, Globe Telecom Plaza 1, Pioneer St. cor. Madison St., Mandaluyong City, while its tra ...
on August 15, 2011, after BEAM and Solar signed an affiliation deal, which gave the latter the use of the former's facilities. Full broadcast started on September 30, 2011. In May 2011,
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
launched the slogan "Young and Loving It". It also saw new programs such as the reality series ''
The Rachel Zoe Project ''The Rachel Zoe Project'' is an American reality documentary series starring celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe. The series premiered on September 9, 2008 on the Bravo television network. The show also airs on Arena in Australia, Really in the Unit ...
'' and ''Bachelor Pad'', drama series ''
Nikita Nikita may refer to: * Nikita (given name) * Nikita, Crimea, a town in Crimea * Nikita the Tanner, a character in East Slavic folklore Film and television *''Little Nikita'', a 1988 film * ''La Femme Nikita'' (film), also known as ''Nikita'', a 19 ...
'', and ''
The Secret Circle The Secret Circle is a supernatural, young-adult series of books created by L. J. Smith. The narrative follows the character of Cassie Blake as she is initiated into a "Circle" of eleven other teenage witches and the danger that ensues when they ...
'', US reality series ''
The Glee Project ''The Glee Project'' is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It served as an audition for the Fox musical comedy series ''Glee'', and the prize for the winner was a minimum seven-episode arc in the following season of the show. The ...
'', comedy shows like ''
New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day (Zooey ...
'' and
2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cumm ...
, and local lifestyle show ''
Etcetera ''Et Cetera'' ( or (proscribed) , ), abbreviated to ''etc.'', ''etc'', ''et cet.'', ''&c.'' or ''&c'' is a Latin expression that is used in English to mean "and other similar things", or "and so forth". Translated literally from Latin, means 'an ...
''. In 2012, ETC includes the reality show ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'', local programs like ''
Project Runway Philippines ''Project Runway Philippines'' is the Philippine adaptation of the American reality show ''Project Runway''. This reality television series, which aims to find "the next big Filipino fashion designer," is produced by Solar Entertainment Corporati ...
'' (season 3), drama series ''
The Lying Game ''The Lying Game'' is an American teen drama mystery television series developed by Charles Pratt Jr. It premiered on ABC Family on August 15, 2011, and ended on March 12, 2013. The series was produced by Pratt Enterprises, Alloy Entertainment, ...
'', ''
Emily Owens MD ''Emily Owens, M.D.'' is an American medical drama television series created by Jennie Snyder Urman. It was picked up by The CW on May 11, 2012. It premiered on The CW on October 16, 2012, and aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central. ...
'' and ''
Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'', and local infotainment show ''
ETC HQ ''ETC HQ'' (stylised as ''etcHQ'') is a Philippine infotainment show that aired on ETC from September 16, 2012 to July 7, 2013. Final hosts * Patti Grandidge * Julia Sniegowski * Mike Concepcion * Sam Sadhwani * Kim Jones See also * ETC * Etc. ...
''. In 2013, ETC aired comedy-drama series ''
The Carrie Diaries ''The Carrie Diaries'' is a young adult novel, the first in a series of the same name by American author Candace Bushnell. The series is a prequel to Bushnell's 1997 collection ''Sex and the City'', and follows the character of Carrie Bradshaw du ...
'', sitcom series ''
Super Fun Night ''Super Fun Night'' is an American sitcom that aired from October 2, 2013, to February 19, 2014, on ABC. The series was broadcast during the 2013–14 television season on ABC in the Wednesday night 9:30 pm (ET/PT) slot after ''Modern Family''. ...
'', supernatural drama series '' Ravenswood'', horror fantasy drama series '' The Originals'' and among others.
Solar News Nine Media News and Current Affairs (formerly Solar News and Current Affairs Solar News and 9News and Current Affairs/9News) is the news and public affairs production arm and sole division of the media conglomerate Nine Media Corporation le ...
, known for its back-to-basics and unbiased journalism, was formed in January 2012 during the coverage of the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona. Post-EDSA revolution
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
newsmen Pal Marquez, Jing Magsaysay and
Pia Hontiveros Ana Patricia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan (born Ana Patricia Navarro Hontiveros; March 10, 1967), better known as Pia Hontiveros, is a Filipina broadcast journalist. She is the sister of Ginggay and Risa Hontiveros. She is also the cousin of the 80' ...
together with former ANC anchors
Claire Celdran Claire Celdran Rodriguez (born August 22, 1980) is a Filipino broadcast journalist. She is a news anchor for various programs at CNN Philippines. She previously worked at ANC, EBRU TV and Solar News Channel Solar News Channel (SNC) was a ma ...
, Mai Rodriguez and Nancy Irlanda, known as the pillars of Solar News. Most of its news reporters are from
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
and
ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election installe ...
, as well as from RPN NewsWatch. On December 24, 2011, The Game Channel limited its broadcast on daytime sharing with a new programming service called
CHASE Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...
which takes over the evening block. In February 2012, both services aired a promotion, announcing the split of CHASE and TGC to form themselves as separate channels. On February 15, 2012, The Game Channel finally shuts down on free TV and was relaunched as a cable channel; CHASE was also relaunched as a separate channel, now occupying the entire BEAM broadcast airtime on Free TV. On April 3, 2012, Solar transferred its former Salcedo Village facilities to their new facility in Worldwide Corporate Center in
Mandaluyong Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong ( fil, Lungsod ng Mandaluyong), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 425,758 people. Loca ...
. It also featured a newly constructed set for Solar's then-news division, which would become fully functional three months later. On July 16, 2012, Solar News launched its first local newscast ''Solar Network News'', followed by ''Solar Nightly News'', an hourly Solar News Update, Solar Daybreak, and Solar Newsday. On September 7, 2012, Jack TV plugged their announcement through CHASE programs bearing the title "Another Jack TV is rising, coming soon on this channel" (BEAM Channel 31). This indicated that CHASE was being replaced; finally, on October 20, 2012, Jack City was then launched, marking October 19 as the end of CHASE's broadcasts.
Jack City Jack City was a Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Formerly known as Chase, it serves as the spin-off channel to Jack TV. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, the channel is currently broad ...
still does carry some of CHASE's programs however. In October 2012, it was found out that Solar News would replace the government-controlled RPN News, as a result of RPN's privatization, making Solar TV covering the entire network's airtime. More than 200 RPN employees, particularly those from the labor union and the NewsWatch staff, were retrenched and RPN News was closed down on October 29, effectively axing NewsWatch and NewsCap. Some retrenched government employees were relocated to either People's Television Network (PTV 4) or Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC 13) (both State-run broadcasters). On October 30, 2012, at 5:45 am, TalkTV was replaced as Solar News Channel on Channel 21 via SBN. The channel saw the relaunch of sports news program ''Solar Sports Desk'' (now known as CNN Philippines Sports Desk), as well as the initial telecast of the Solar News and Current affairs block in November 2012 comprising five public affairs programs ( Legal HD,
MedTalk ''MedTalk HealthTalk'' is a public affairs show produced by Nine Media Corporation which has been broadcast by CNN Philippines (formerly 9TV) since 2012 which talks about medical topics. It is hosted by Dr. Freddie Gomez. On March 15, 2018, ' ...
, News.PH, Opposing Views, Elections 2013 and
News Cafe News Cafe is a full-service cafe-bar and cocktail franchise restaurant chain founded in South Africa since 1995. The first News Cafe opened in 1995 in Hatfield, Pretoria, shortly after the lifting of sanctions against South Africa signalled the ...
), ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'', ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'', ''
Undercover Boss ''Undercover Boss'' is a reality television series franchise created by Stephen Lambert and produced in many countries. It originated in 2009 on the British Channel 4. The show’s format features the experiences of senior executives working u ...
'' and the "Stories"
documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
block. In January 2013, Solar News Cebuano (now known as
CNN Philippines Cebuano News CNN Philippines Cebuano News was the flagship Cebuano-language newscast of CNN Philippines. It aired weekdays at 1:00 p.m. before '' Kapampangan News''. It was the first regional newscast produced by CNN Philippines that premiered under its ...
) made history as the first national newscast delivered in a local dialect. In 2014, it also launched the
Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary ...
national newscast,
Kapampangan News CNN Philippines ''Kapampangan News'' was the flagship Kapampangan-language newscast of CNN Philippines. It aired weekdays at 1:15 p.m. ( PST) after ''Cebuano News''. It was the second regional newscast produced by CNN Philippines, premierin ...
and the public service program ''
Serbisyo All Access ''CNN Philippines Serbisyo All Access'' (simply Serbisyo All Access, lit. ''All Access Service'') was the flagship public-service program of CNN Philippines and its predecessors Solar News Channel and 9TV. It aired on the weekdays from 10:00&nb ...
'', which is shown in
Filipino language Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, spoke ...
. Prior to the channel's transfer to RPN, SNC's flagship newscast (Solar Network News) simulcasted on RPN 9 (free TV only) from the SNC's launch. The news content for RPN (then affiliated with ETC), however, was switched to ''Solar Nightly News'' on January 14, 2013, onwards, to avoid backlash from free TV viewers, particularly Free TV viewers of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' (in which the original plan was to replace the 6 pm via satellite broadcast to Free TV viewers by Network News, then airs the AI episodes at the 8 pm rerun in simulcast with cable and satellite viewers). Throughout the ''American Idol'' season, as the episodes are repeated at 8 PM on cable, Solar used the separate free TV-only feed, that contains reruns of selected ETC shows (but with advertisements replaced by ETC teasers and promotions) at 8 pm and ''Nightly News'' at 9 PM (with additional ETC programs, if necessary) to be used by RPN after each AI via satellite episode before RPN returns to the main ETC feed at 10 PM. This is to retain RPN's news content as it then has no newscast since the axing of NewsWatch. On January 3, 2013, SEC launched Blink Cinema (later renamed as
My Movie Channel My Movie Channel (formerly Blink Cinema) was a 24-hour Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, It currently airs movies from Hollywood and around the world, w ...
) with the full broadcast taking effect later that month. On April 14, 2013,
TV5 Network Inc. TV5 Network Inc., commonly known as TV5, is a Philippine media company based in Mandaluyong, with its alternate studios located in Novaliches, Quezon City. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries and ...
and Solar Entertainment Corporation joined to broadcast the
2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tournament was held from August 1–1 ...
in Manila on Philippine television on August 1–11. Aside from TV5 and its sister channel (
AksyonTV Aksyon TV () was a Philippine free-to-air television network. It was a joint venture of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and TV5 Network, Inc. (international operations is under its subsidiary Pilipinas Global Network Ltd.), both under PLDT medi ...
), the games were also broadcast over Solar’s cable channel
Basketball TV Basketball TV or BTV was a Philippine pay television sports channel with offices on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. It was owned by the Solar Entertainment Corporation. It was launched on October 1, 2006, rebranding the Sports Plus channel. On Se ...
.


New management

On May 22, 2013, Solar Entertainment Corporation appointed two officers to manage its broadcasting and cable businesses: Manuel “Meckoy” Quiogue as chief commercial officer and Maria Theresa “Mitos” Borromeo as chief operating officer (COO). Quiogue, however, suddenly died on May 31, 2013, prior to assuming his position. On June 28, 2013,
Jack City Jack City was a Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Formerly known as Chase, it serves as the spin-off channel to Jack TV. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, the channel is currently broad ...
reduced its free TV broadcast to 18 hours a day on BEAM in compliance with the
National Telecommunications Commission The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC; fil, Pambansang Komisyon sa Telekomunikasyon) is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology responsible for the supervision, adjudication and control over ...
's guidelines. However, it still continues to air as a cable channel 24 hours a day. On November 9, 2013,
San Miguel Corporation San Miguel Corporation, abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified congl ...
's president and COO,
Ramon Ang Ramon See Ang (born January 14, 1954), also known by his initials RSA, is a Filipino businessman. He is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Top Frontier Investment Holdings, Inc., the largest shareholder of San Miguel Corporation. ...
, explored the possibility of acquiring a controlling stake in Solar Entertainment Corporation in his personal capacity. However, no further announcements were made after this and Ang subsequently reached an agreement to acquire a minority stake.
Solar News Channel Solar News Channel (SNC) was a major commercial television network in the Philippines, owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation's arm television subsidiary of Solar Television Network lease with its owner by Radio Philippines Network. Its flag ...
and its partnership moved to
RPN 9 DZKB-TV, is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network Radio Philippines Network, the official affiliate of CNN Philippines. The station broadcasts in both channel 9 (VHF analog broadcast) and channel 19 (UHF digital test ...
on December 1, 2013, while ETC returned to SBN Channel 21 a day before. (ETC was aired on SBN-21 from 2008 to 2011 then to RPN-9 from 2011 to 2013), as well as the launch of Solar's video-on-demand website Blink. As a result of the channel swap (on RPN's part), Network News and Nightly News became newscasts on its own right. In 2014, Solar Entertainment's Solar One Boracay happened during the Labor Day weekend to showcase its channels (ETC, 2nd Avenue, JackTV, JackCITY, My Movie Channel, The Game Channel, Solar Sports, BTV and NBA Premium TV) through various summer activities all over the island. On August 20, 2014, Solar Entertainment Corporation chief Wilson Tieng announced that he ceded his entire share on
Solar TV Network Nine Media Corporation (formerly known as Solar Television Network, Inc. or STVNI) is a Filipino-based media company. Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Entertainment Corporation (SEC), a multimedia television and film company of the ...
, Inc., including its 34% majority share on RPN, to
Antonio Cabangon Chua Antonio L. Cabangon-Chua (August 30, 1934 – March 11, 2016) was a Filipino businessman, Philippine ambassador to Laos under the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and reserved colonel of the Armed Forces of the Philippi ...
, owner of business daily
BusinessMirror The ''BusinessMirror'' is a daily business newspaper in the Philippines founded in 2005 by Antonio Cabangon Chua, who was also its publisher and the owner of radio network Aliw Broadcasting Corporation. As of September 2011, ''BusinessMirror'' h ...
and
Aliw Broadcasting Corporation Aliw Broadcasting Corporation is one of the major commercial broadcasting companies in the Philippines, which operates a number of radio stations under the Home Radio & DWIZ brands, as well as its only digital television station, IZTV. Its cor ...
. Tieng sold Solar TV because they were losing money for operations after purchasing RPN. As a result of this ownership change, STVNI, Solar News Channel and RPN's majority stake were separated from the Tiengs; while ETC, 2nd Avenue, and Jack City reverted to Solar Entertainment's ownership. On September 1, 2014,
Jack City Jack City was a Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Formerly known as Chase, it serves as the spin-off channel to Jack TV. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, the channel is currently broad ...
ended its run on free TV due to the preparations being made by BEAM 31 for the incoming transition to ISDB-T digital television, though it continues to be broadcast as a separate cable channel. However, Jack City continued to broadcast on cable networks until March 21, 2015. After Jack City's closure to free TV, BEAM aired under blocktime programs from various local production and religious companies. On November 15, 2014, BEAM began being carried on
SkyCable Sky Cable (stylized as SKYcable) is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of t ...
and Destiny Cable subscribers (per compliance with NTC's "must-carry" basis). This move resulted of Jack City in a change of its channel assignment for SkyCable and
Destiny Cable Destiny Cable (formerly Global Destiny Cable and stylized as DESTINY CABLE) was a direct-to-home cable television subscription service based in Quezon City. Destiny Cable was the 2nd largest cable TV provider in the Philippines. It was owned by ...
subscribers, as well as several pay TV companies. In 2015, Solar Entertainment Corporation launched the #1stonPHTV brand of Solar channels for
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
, 2nd Avenue,
Jack TV Jack TV (stylised as JACK TV) is an online web portal owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation and based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was known as a Philippine pay television network mainly offering multi-genre programming from the United ...
, Jack City and
My Movie Channel My Movie Channel (formerly Blink Cinema) was a 24-hour Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, It currently airs movies from Hollywood and around the world, w ...
, with the brand implemented on January 6, 2015. Since then, all SEC channels broadcast first-run foreign television programs with the hashtag #1stonPHTV (First on Philippine TV), which was formerly known as "Match Airing" (ETC), "Playing 1st" (Jack TV), "The Newest in the US" and "FastCast" (2nd Avenue) and "See It First" (Jack City).
The Game Channel The Game Channel (abbreviated TGC, stylized as tgc from January 2014 – February 2015) was a Filipino cable and satellite television network owned and produced by Solar Entertainment Corporation who also created the networks My Movie Channel, N ...
, after almost three years on broadcasting, selling or ceased on February 28, 2015. The channel space was taken over by
My Movie Channel My Movie Channel (formerly Blink Cinema) was a 24-hour Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, It currently airs movies from Hollywood and around the world, w ...
on March 1. On March 22, 2015, Jack City was replaced by CT, thus becoming independent from its parent network. Upon launch, the channel broadened its programming focus by adding talk shows, sitcoms and men's lifestyle programs to its roster. On March 26, 2015, Solar Entertainment announced its broadcast of the "Fight Of The Century" between
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
and
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (''né'' Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. As a professional boxer he competed b ...
on May 3, 2015. As stated in a press conference that day, it was broadcast on May 3 via delayed broadcast in three major television stations in the Philippines,
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
, TV5, and
GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
(who waived its exclusive contract with Solar to allow its multi-network coverage, but maintained its exclusive live broadcast on its radio division), with
Solar Sports Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. " solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indica ...
as its main content provider for this historic event in boxing. On July 1, 2015, My Movie Channel ceased broadcasting. The closure or selling was announced by Solar a day before.


Rebranding of the four flagship networks

On October 16, 2016, Solar relaunched its flagship channels ETC, 2nd Avenue, Basketball TV and Solar Sports. The four networks unveiled their new logos, on-air graphics and station IDs, which took effect on that day. CT, Jack TV, Shop TV and NBA Premium TV on the other hand remains unchanged. Also that day, Solar launched its corporate campaign slogan ''...There's More To Come'', which evolved in 2017 as ''We go for More''. In 2017, Solar Entertainment became the official Philippine broadcaster of the 65th edition of the
Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...
in Manila. This led to another deal with
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
, TV5 and GMA (the second time that such deal happened between Solar and the Big 3 networks). According to some sources, a directive from
President Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
ordered that the major networks must cover the prestige pageant as it happens live in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. Alongside the Big Three, Solar Entertainment channels
etc * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
, 2nd Avenue,
Jack TV Jack TV (stylised as JACK TV) is an online web portal owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation and based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was known as a Philippine pay television network mainly offering multi-genre programming from the United ...
and CT aired the pageant simultaneously. It was also in the same year when Solar Entertainment forged a joint venture with the Bermuda-based communications satellite company
Asia Broadcast Satellite ABS, formerly Asia Broadcast Satellite, is a global satellite operator incorporated in Bermuda. Operating 5 communication satellites, the satellite fleet currently covers 93% of the world's population including the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific ...
to launch the first nationwide free-to-air
direct-to-home Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commo ...
satellite television services using the C-band, which is set to launch on the 3rd quarter of the year.


Carriage disputes


Sky Cable


2008

Solar's channels have ceased airing on
Sky Cable Sky Cable (stylized as SKYcable) is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of t ...
, the Philippines' largest cable television provider. An insider claims that these troubles with Sky Cable started when boxer
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
, whose fights Solar Entertainment has the exclusive right to air and distribute to, moved from
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
, the flagship television network of
ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Filipino media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment and media conglomerate in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation which is owned by t ...
and the primary owner of
Sky Cable Corporation Sky Cable Corporation, doing business as Sky, is a Telecommunications in the Philippines, Filipino telecommunications company based in Diliman, Quezon City. A subsidiary of the media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, ABS-CBN, the company offe ...
, to rival
GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
. Another insider claims that SkyCable wanted to remove
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
and
Jack TV Jack TV (stylised as JACK TV) is an online web portal owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation and based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was known as a Philippine pay television network mainly offering multi-genre programming from the United ...
to make room for their own channels,
Velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
(now defunct) and
Maxxx Maxxx was a general entertainment channel for men owned by Creative Programs, Inc., an ABS-CBN subsidiary. Channel Information Maxxx had a test broadcast together with Velvet and Balls (both defunct) since September 2007. Maxxx had an official ...
(now defunct). Sky Cable wanted to retain C/S, 2nd Avenue,
Solar Sports Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. " solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indica ...
and
Basketball TV Basketball TV or BTV was a Philippine pay television sports channel with offices on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. It was owned by the Solar Entertainment Corporation. It was launched on October 1, 2006, rebranding the Sports Plus channel. On Se ...
, but Solar made a decision that they would only renew their contract if Sky Cable carried all six channels. Thus, Solar decided to pull out all their channels rather than remove ETC and Jack TV. However, Solar has signed a deal with local terrestrial channels
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, RPN, SBN and RJTV for block-time programming. C/S, ETC and 2nd Avenue programming are seen on terrestrial TV channels RPN, SBN and RJTV, respectively, while
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
and
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
programming were seen on TV5, now moved to RPN (WWE programming are currently being broadcast thru TV5, while its terrestrial NBA coverage were moved to
ABS-CBN Sports ABS-CBN Sports was a sports division of the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN, which aired some of the notable sporting events in the Philippines. ABS-CBN Sports began in 1998 as the main broadcaster for the network-backed basketball leagu ...
under Solar). Most of its channels were later returned to Sky Cable, while Jack TV would eventually return to its lineup on October 1, 2010, replacing Maxxx. Meanwhile, Pacquiao's boxing promotion,
Top Rank Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including Muh ...
, signed a non-guaranteed contract with
ABS-CBN Sports ABS-CBN Sports was a sports division of the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN, which aired some of the notable sporting events in the Philippines. ABS-CBN Sports began in 1998 as the main broadcaster for the network-backed basketball leagu ...
to exclusively air fights promoted by Top Rank, with the exception of Pacquiao fights which are still signed exclusively through Solar Entertainment.


2017–2019

On April 10, 2017, 3 days before the
2017 NBA Playoffs The 2017 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the 2016-17 NBA season, which began on April 15, 2017 and concluded on June 12, 2017. It concluded with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Fin ...
was scheduled to begin (and coincided with the final day of the 2016–17 NBA regular season), Basketball TV,
NBA Premium TV The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, Solar Sports, Jack TV and CT (now defunct) were removed by Solar from Sky Cable (including
Sky Direct Sky Direct was a direct-broadcast satellite subscription television service in the Philippines owned and operated by Sky, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN. Sky Cable had been eyeing for a DBS service and considered on acquiring Dream Satellite TV from Ant ...
,
Destiny Cable Destiny Cable (formerly Global Destiny Cable and stylized as DESTINY CABLE) was a direct-to-home cable television subscription service based in Quezon City. Destiny Cable was the 2nd largest cable TV provider in the Philippines. It was owned by ...
&
Sky On Demand Sky On Demand was a video on demand service exclusively available to Sky subscribers in the Philippines. It was owned and operated by Sky Cable Corporation, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN. It allowed users who were subscribed to either Sky Cable, Sky B ...
thru video on demand) without any prior announcement from Solar. Initially, both Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV were replaced by airing a simulcast of
ABS-CBN Sports and Action ABS-CBN Sports and Action (stylized as ABS-CBN Sports+Action or simply S+A or S and A), was a free-to-air television network based in Quezon City. It was owned by ABS-CBN Corporation with some of its programs produced and licensed by ABS-CBN S ...
with a ticker announcing the unavailability of the channels, with Solar Sports, Jack TV and CT (now defunct) also doing the latter albeit with a black screen. Later, almost all of the pulled-out Solar channels were replaced by an imaging card, initially detailing the unavailability of the channels and then later, announcing that they will discuss with Solar on returning the aforementioned channels; while for BTV and NBA Premium TV, a schedule of the NBA games that will air on
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
, ABS-CBN Sports and Action and
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
within the week and a loop of an NBA promo. Solar did not comment on the situation for the removal of the channels, but sources and some netizens pointed out a carriage dispute between the two parties for not paying an undisclosed price to continue broadcasting these channels, which was later proven true by an article published by the ''
Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...
''. As the dispute continued, some media enthusiasts and netizens raised concerns of whether these Solar channels will return to Sky and/or Destiny. Others pointed that inaction between the two parties could affect the next long-term local broadcast franchise with the NBA, slated to begin at the Association's 2019-2020 regular season. (Solar and Sky's parent, ABS-CBN, would share the airing of NBA games on pay and terrestrial television. Rumours circulated that both networks may bid separately, if they could not reach renewal, and use their respective infrastructure to broadcast adequate NBA coverage. Otherwise, rival networks with a functioning sports department like
The 5 Network TV5 (also known as 5 and formerly known as ABC) is a Philippine free-to-air television network based in Mandaluyong, with its alternate studios located in Novaliches, Quezon City. It is the flagship property of TV5 Network, Inc. with Cignal TV ...
may also seek their own bidding to take over the 2019 contract from both Solar and ABS-CBN.) Netizens and viewers were dismayed and frustrated by the removal of the said channels by Sky Cable, most notably for BTV and NBA Premium due to the importance of the Playoffs. Some netizens were angered by the removal of the said channels and asked Sky Cable to return the channels before the scheduled Playoffs would begin, however Sky Cable would respond to angered netizens on social media that they are "fixing the situation with Solar". Other netizens and viewers would otherwise switch providers from Sky Cable to other cable companies that carried these channels or to other satellite providers like
Cignal Cignal (pronounced as ''signal'') is a Philippine satellite television and IPTV provider, owned by Cignal TV Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the MediaQuest Holdings Inc. under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. Cignal's prepaid electronic ...
. On October 16, 2018, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV returned to Sky Cable, Sky Direct, & Sky On Demand after an 18 month absence; however it was removed on October 28, 2018, for unknown reasons. The carriage dispute officially ended on January 1, 2019, when all Solar channels: Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV, Solar Sports, and Jack TV were restored on Sky (including Sky On Demand & Sky Direct). Ironically,
MTVph MTVph (formerly MTV Philippines and MTV Pinoy) was a 24-hour music/entertainment television network co-owned by ViacomCBS Networks International Asia and Solar Entertainment Corporation. The network was launched on August 1, 2017, on all cable/ ...
, which is a Solar channel, ended its operations on the same day at that time Sky resumed the affected Solar channels. As of 2019, Sky's sister company Destiny Cable still did not carry all the aforementioned Solar channels despite its aforementioned return on Sky Cable. During the aforementioned period,
Shop TV Shop TV is a 24-hour shopping related TV channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation.History of Shop TV
retrieved via w ...
, ETC and 2nd Avenue (now defunct) were kept on-the-air, due to the "must-carry" rules by the NTC. MTVph was also kept on the air (until it was discontinued on January 1, 2019) since it was carried in a separate programming agreement outside of the affected channels despite its ownership.


Dream Satellite TV

Dream Satellite TV Dream Satellite TV was the first all-digital Direct-To-Home (DTH) television broadcasting service via satellite in the Philippines. Broadcasting from the Dream Broadcast Center located at the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga. Content is rec ...
ceased carrying three Solar Channels, namely
Solar Sports Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. " solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indica ...
,
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
(which was at that time a cable channel prior to its move to free TV and cable) and 2nd Avenue (now defunct) (except
C/S 9 C/S (originally known as Crime/Suspense) is an entertainment channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation. It shows mostly American crime and suspense dramas, mysteries, reality, science fiction and action shows. It is the successor to Sola ...
) effective February 1, 2009. Dream's carriage contract with Solar Entertainment, which expired on December 31, 2008, was not renewed by Dream, citing financial constraints as its main reason. The three Solar channels were replaced by A&E's
The History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
,
Biography Channel FYI (stylized as fyi,) is an American basic cable channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications (each owns 50%). The network features lifestyle pr ...
and Crime and Investigation Channel. As of 2017, ETC and 2nd Avenue remained on its lineup due to the "must-carry" rules of the NTC. Unfortunately, Dream Satellite ended its operations on December 31, 2017, due to bankruptcy and its competition with other satellite providers.


Divisions / Subsidiaries

* ETC Productions * Blink * Solar Pictures * Domestic Satellite Philippines, Inc. (DOMSAT) *
Southern Broadcasting Network Southern Broadcasting Network, Inc. (SBN) is a Filipino-owned media company based radio and television network based in Metro Manila. SBN is a subsidiary of Solar Entertainment Corporation, a Filipino-owned television company managed by the T ...
(acquired in 2010 from Lucio Co's Gem Communications Holdings Corporation) * Solar Digital Media Holdings (operator of Solar's digital television service Easy TV Home)


Filmography of Solar Pictures


Notable local films released or distributed by Solar Pictures

* ''Syota ng Bayan'' (2001) * '' Batas Militar'' (2006) * '' Pacquiao: The Movie'' (2006) - with
Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...
* ''Anak Ng Kumander'' (2007) * '' Ang Tanging Pamilya'' (2009) - with
Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...
* '' Kimmy Dora: Kambal sa Kiyeme'' (2009) - with
Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...
* ''
Wapakman ''Wapakman'' is a Philippine superhero film directed by Topel Lee and starring eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. It was released on December 25, 2009 as an entry to the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival. Cast *Manny Pacquiao as M ...
'' (2009) * ''Flames of Love'' (2012) * ''Sapi'' (2013) * ''Mumbai Love'' (2014) * '' Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo'' (2014) * ''
Kid Kulafu ''Kid Kulafu'' is a 2015 Filipino biographical sports drama film produced and released by Star Cinema together with Ten17P owned by the film's director Paul Soriano. The film dramatizes the life of the boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao during his c ...
'' (2015) - with
Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Philippines, Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film ...
* ''
Ma' Rosa ''Ma' Rosa'' is a 2016 Filipino drama film directed by Brillante Mendoza. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Jaclyn Jose won the award for Best Actress. It was selected as the Filipino ent ...
'' (2016) * ''Mulat'' (2016) * ''Apocalypse Child'' (2016) * ''
Ang Larawan ''Ang Larawan'', internationally released as , is a 2017 Philippine musical film directed by Loy Arcenas. Based on the 1997 stage play, ''Larawan'' which in turn was based on the 1950 literary play ''A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino'' by Nati ...
'' (2017, 43rd Metro Manila Film Festival's Best Picture) * ''
Siargao Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 196 kilometers southeast of Tacloban. It has a land area of approximately . The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a s ...
'' (2017, 43rd Metro Manila Film Festival's 2nd Best Picture) * ''
Citizen Jake ''Citizen Jake'' is a 2018 Philippine noir crime drama film which featured Atom Araullo directed by Mike de Leon. Plot When journalist Jake Herrera (real life journalist Atom Araullo, in his film debut) investigates the murder of a student, ...
'' (2018) * ''
Mary, Marry Me ''Mary, Marry Me'' is a 2018 Philippine romantic comedy film directed by RC Delos Reyes and starring Toni Gonzaga, Alex Gonzaga, and Sam Milby. It marks the first film to star the Gonzaga sisters, and the reunion project between Toni Gonzaga and ...
'' (2018) * ''
Rainbow's Sunset ''Rainbow's Sunset'' is a 2018 Filipino family drama LGBT-themed film directed by Joel Lamangan, starring Eddie Garcia, Tony Mabesa, and Gloria Romero. The movie is an official entry to the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival, and bagged 11 awards, ...
'' (2018)


Broadcast assets


Terrestrial TV channels

* ''
Shop TV Shop TV is a 24-hour shopping related TV channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation.History of Shop TV
retrieved via w ...
'' (2005–present, digital platform only) * ''
Solar Flix SolarFlix (formerly ETC) is a Philippine free-to-air television network owned by the Southern Broadcasting Network subsidiary of Solar Entertainment Corporation. Its digital free-to-air broadcast is carried by SBN's flagship station, DWCP-DTV ...
'' ( SBN 21: 2022–present) * ''
Solar Learning Solar Learning is a Philippine educational UHF television channel which broadcasts as a relay feed of the DepEd TV programming service. It is owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation in partnership with the Department of Education An education ...
'' (2020–present, digital platform only)


Cable TV channels

* ''
Front Row Channel Front Row Channel is a global digital live music channel owned by Jungo TV, based in the United States. The channel specializes in broadcasts of live concerts with featured performances from the world's top musical acts. International distribut ...
'' (2020–present, joint venture with
Jungo TV Jungo TV, LLC (or Jungo) is a privately-held media company that owns and operates television channels and streaming apps founded in 2016. Jungo TV is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in San Diego, Mumbai, and Manila. History Jungo TV w ...
) * ''
eGG Network eGG Network (formaly known as Every Good Game)is a Malaysian pay television channel that was launched on 7 June 2016. A joint venture of Rocketfuel Entertainment Sdn Bhd. This channel focuses on e-sports and broadcasts electronic games tournamen ...
'' (2020–present, channel distribution only) * ''Scream Flix'' (2022-present, joint venture with
Jungo TV Jungo TV, LLC (or Jungo) is a privately-held media company that owns and operates television channels and streaming apps founded in 2016. Jungo TV is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in San Diego, Mumbai, and Manila. History Jungo TV w ...
) * '' Solar All Access'' (2002–present, formerly Solar Sports PPV) * ''
Solar Sports Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. " solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indica ...
'' (1994–present, formerly Solar Entertainment Channel)


Former subsidiary, divisions and broadcast assets

* ''
Nine Media Corporation Nine Media Corporation (formerly known as Solar Television Network, Inc. or STVNI) is a Filipino-based media company. Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Solar Entertainment Corporation (SEC), a multimedia television and film company of the ...
'' (formerly, Solar Television Network, Inc.; sold to
ALC Group of Companies ALC may refer to: Places * Alicante Airport, by IATA airport code * Alliance station, Ohio, US, Amtrak code= Business * Atlantic Lottery Corporation * A.L.C, US fashion company Organizations * Air Lease Corporation * American Lacrosse Confer ...
) ** ''
Solar News Channel Solar News Channel (SNC) was a major commercial television network in the Philippines, owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation's arm television subsidiary of Solar Television Network lease with its owner by Radio Philippines Network. Its flag ...
'' (2012–2014) ** ''
Radio Philippines Network Radio Philippines Network, Inc. (RPN) is a Philippine Media of the Philippines, television and radio company based in Quezon City. It is the flagship media property of Nine Media Corporation of the ALC Group of Companies; along with the Pre ...
'' (34%) * ''
Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is a Philippines, Philippine State broadcasting, state broadcaster owned by the Government Communications Group under the Presidential Communications Group (Philippines)#Presidential Communicat ...
'' (For ''
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
'', ''
Shop TV Shop TV is a 24-hour shopping related TV channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation.History of Shop TV
retrieved via w ...
'' & '' Jai-Alai Games'')


Defunct cable channels and former digital TV distribution

* '' 2nd Avenue'' (Cable TV: 2005–2018, RJTV 29: 2008–2018, formerly ETC 2nd Avenue) * ''
9TV 9TV (formerly branded as Solar News Channel) was a major commercial television network in the Philippines. It was owned by Nine Media Corporation, Nine Media had an airtime agreement as the main content provider of Radio Philippines Network. 9 ...
'' (34%)1 * ''
Aniplus Asia ANIPLUS is an Asian multinational television channel and anime distributor based in Singapore and South Korea. Launched on 7 December 2009, the channel is currently available on SK Broadband, LG Uplus IPTV service, and KT SkyLife. The company als ...
'' (2018–2019) * '' BTV'' (2006–2019) *
Boo
(2018–2019) * '' C/S Origin'' (2008–2009) * ''
C/S 9 C/S (originally known as Crime/Suspense) is an entertainment channel owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation. It shows mostly American crime and suspense dramas, mysteries, reality, science fiction and action shows. It is the successor to Sola ...
'' (Cable TV: 2005–2007,
RPN 9 DZKB-TV, is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network Radio Philippines Network, the official affiliate of CNN Philippines. The station broadcasts in both channel 9 (VHF analog broadcast) and channel 19 (UHF digital test ...
: 2008–2009) * '' CT'' (2015–2017) * ''
Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...
'' ( BEAM TV 31: 2011–2012) * '' Hallmark Channel/Diva Universal Philippines'' (2009–2013)2 * ''
ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...
'' (Cable TV: 2004–2022, SBN 21: 2008–2011, 2013–2022,
RPN 9 DZKB-TV, is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network Radio Philippines Network, the official affiliate of CNN Philippines. The station broadcasts in both channel 9 (VHF analog broadcast) and channel 19 (UHF digital test ...
: 2011–2013) * ''
Gone Viral TV Gone Viral TV (also known as GVTV) is a High Definition Pay-TV channel based out of Barbados and distributed exclusively by Gulfcom Inc. Servicing Pay-TV operators in the Caribbean, North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. GVTV broadcasts po ...
'' (2018–2019) * ''
Jack City Jack City was a Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Formerly known as Chase, it serves as the spin-off channel to Jack TV. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, the channel is currently broad ...
'' ( BEAM TV 31: 2012–2014, Cable TV: 2014–2015) * ''
Jack TV Jack TV (stylised as JACK TV) is an online web portal owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation and based in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It was known as a Philippine pay television network mainly offering multi-genre programming from the United ...
'' (2005–2020, now on web portal) * ''
K-Plus K-Plus (stylized as K+) is a Southeast Asian pay television channel focused on airing drama series, variety shows, movies and lifestyle programmes in K-pop, beauty & fashion as its main programming genre. It was launched on 17 September 2014 and ...
'' (2018–2019) * ''
Living Asia Channel Living Asia Channel is a 24-hour Asian travel and lifestyle channel. Launched on June 6, 2004. It showcases the best of Asian destinations, finds, culture, cuisine, fashion, people, business, issues and investment opportunities in the Philippines ...
'' (2019) * ''
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
'' (2018–2019) * ''
MTVph MTVph (formerly MTV Philippines and MTV Pinoy) was a 24-hour music/entertainment television network co-owned by ViacomCBS Networks International Asia and Solar Entertainment Corporation. The network was launched on August 1, 2017, on all cable/ ...
'' (2017–2018)3 * '' Blink Cinema/My Movie Channel'' (2013–2015) * ''
NBA League Pass NBA League Pass is the National Basketball Association's direct-to-consumer subscription-based product that gives basketball fans access to NBA games, live and on-demand, for the entire NBA season. League Pass is available to viewers in the Un ...
'' * ''
NBA Premium TV The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
'' (2010–2019) * ''
Outdoor Channel Outdoor Channel is an American pay television channel focused on the outdoors, offering programming that includes hunting, fishing, Western lifestyle, off-road motorsports and adventure. The network can be viewed on multiple platforms including ...
'' (2018–2019) * ''
Playboy TV Playboy TV (originally The Playboy Channel) is a pay television channel based in the United States. History The channel first launched on December 9, 1980, as Escapade by Rainbow Programing Services (a joint-venture of four cable companies, ...
'' (2001-2005) * ''
Solar News Channel Solar News Channel (SNC) was a major commercial television network in the Philippines, owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation's arm television subsidiary of Solar Television Network lease with its owner by Radio Philippines Network. Its flag ...
'' (34%)4 * ''Sports Plus'' (2004–2006) * ''
Solar TV Solar TV (stylized as SOLARtv) was the flagship television network of Solar Entertainment Corporation's television arm subsidiary Solar TV Network, Inc., which is the replacement of C/S 9. This was the revival of the former Solar channel Solar ...
'' (
RPN 9 DZKB-TV, is the flagship TV station of Philippine television network Radio Philippines Network, the official affiliate of CNN Philippines. The station broadcasts in both channel 9 (VHF analog broadcast) and channel 19 (UHF digital test ...
: 2009–2011) * ''
Solar USA C/S (standing for Crime/Suspense, originally used as an on-air brand) was used for several Philippines, Filipino entertainment channels owned by the Solar Entertainment Corporation. It showed mostly American crime and suspense dramas, mysterie ...
'' (2001–2005) * '' Talk TV'' ( SBN 21: 2011–2012) * '' Telenovela Channel'' (2019) * '' TGC'' ( BEAM TV 31: 2011–2012, Cable TV: 2011, 2012–2015) * ''SciFi/Universal Channel Philippines'' (2009–2012)2 * ''
Zee Sine Zee Sine was a Filipino language motion pictures-oriented channel in the Philippines. It was the first Indian Pay TV channel in the Philippines owned by Zee network of the Zee Entertainment Enterprises under the stewardship of Vinod Kumar, VP of ...
'' (2018–2019) * ''
ZooMoo ZooMoo is an international multilanguage pay television channel owned by Rock Entertainment Holdings that was first launched in Brazil in September 2013 in high definition (HD). On 4 April 2014, ZooMoo was launched in Singapore via Starhub. The ...
'' (2018–2019)


See also

*
Solar Learning Solar Learning is a Philippine educational UHF television channel which broadcasts as a relay feed of the DepEd TV programming service. It is owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation in partnership with the Department of Education An education ...


References


External links

*
Media Ownership Monitor Philippines - Media Companies: A Duopoly Rules
by VERA Files and
Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
{{Philippine cable channels Mass media companies of the Philippines Entertainment companies of the Philippines Philippine radio networks Television networks in the Philippines Television production companies of the Philippines Television in Metro Manila Mass media companies established in 1976 Mass media companies established in 1988 Mass media companies established in 2008 Television channels and stations established in 2000 Television channels and stations established in 2008 1976 establishments in the Philippines 1988 establishments in the Philippines 2008 establishments in the Philippines Companies based in Mandaluyong Privately held companies