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MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. is a
Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
media company based in
Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...
. It is involved in radio and television broadcasting, as well as
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.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...
satellite services and print media. Though an affiliate of telecommunications company
PLDT PLDT, Inc., formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (), is a Philippine telecommunications, internet and digital service company. PLDT is one of the Philippine's major telecommunications providers, along with Globe Te ...
, MediaQuest is owned by the former's Beneficial Trust Fund (corporate entity - BTF Holdings, Inc.), a retirement pension plan funded through its Philippine Depository Receipts. PLDT does not directly own any media property as the current
1987 Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and rat ...
states that media companies should be 100% owned by Filipinos and the company's major shareholders include foreign entities such as
First Pacific First Pacific Company Limited () is a Hong Kong–based investment management and holding company with operations located in Asia. It involves telecommunications, consumer food products and infrastructure. Businesses Indonesia: * Indofood Suk ...
, and
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) is a Japanese telecommunications holding company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Ranked 55th in ''Fortune'' Global 500, NTT is the fourth largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of revenue, as well as the third largest pu ...
. MediaQuest owns and operates national media firms TV5 Network Inc. (TV5) and
Nation Broadcasting Corporation Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is a Philippine radio and television broadcast company established in 1963. As of December 2013, NBC is a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. NBC's radio and t ...
(NBC), as well as pay TV provider and regional radio and TV networks
Cignal TV Cignal TV, Inc. (formerly known as GV Broadcasting System), also known by its legal trading name Mediascape Inc., is a Filipino media and telecommunications firm in the Philippines. A wholly owned subsidiary of the media company MediaQuest Ho ...
. MediaQuest also owns majority interest on newspaper companies ''
The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...
'' and Business World Publishing Corporation (''BusinessWorld''), and 30% of film production unit Unitel Group.


History

MediaQuest was established in 1998 by PLDT through its Beneficial Trust Fund, a retirement fund agency. First with the acquisition of
Home Cable Home Cable was a cable television service in the Philippines. It covered parts of Metro Manila from April 27, 1992, until its closure on June 30, 2005, when it was folded into Sky Cable's operations. Beyond Cable Holdings, a 50-50 joint ventur ...
, a direct-to-home cable TV subscription service and second largest cable TV company through Unilink Communications. On July 1, 2001, Home Cable merged its CATV operation to
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, the company offers broadba ...
and created Beyond Cable Holdings, Inc. with an
enterprise value Enterprise value (EV), total enterprise value (TEV), or firm value (FV) is an economic measure reflecting the market value of a business (i.e. as distinct from market price). It is a sum of claims by all claimants: creditors (secured and unsecure ...
of P14.5 billion. Beyond Cable Inc. controls 66.5% through Benpres Holdings and 33.5% through MediaQuest Holdings Inc. Home Cable ceased its operations on June 30, 2005 (which was replaced by SkyCable Silver). PLDT sold its stake in SkyCable to the owner by
ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino Media conglomerate, media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television and film production, Broadcast syndication, progra ...
and
Lopez Holdings Corporation Lopez Holdings Corporation (formerly primarily as Benpres Holdings Corporation from June 8, 1993 to July 21, 2010 and secondarily from July 21, 2010 to 2019, and also known as Lopez, Inc.) is a Filipino Multinational conglomerate company foun ...
in 2008. In 1998, MediaQuest acquired
Nation Broadcasting Corporation Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is a Philippine radio and television broadcast company established in 1963. As of December 2013, NBC is a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. NBC's radio and t ...
from the consortium of the Yabut family and then House Speaker
Manny Villar Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar Jr. (; born December 13, 1949) is a Filipino businessman and former politician. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 and as the 20th President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2006 to 2008. Before ...
. In 2001, MediaQuest bought a controlling stake in
GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...
. This was until 2006 when an attempt to acquire GMA was failed. MediaQuest attempted again to acquire the network in 2012 but the talks collapsed. In 2007, MediaQuest acquired GV Broadcasting Systems and its owner Satventures Inc., a direct-to-home satellite provider and radio network, from the Galang family. At the same year, it launched myTV as a mobile TV service. GV was later renamed as Mediascape, and officially launched its satellite pay TV service
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 electroni ...
in 2009. In March 2010, MediaQuest acquired ABC Development Corporation and its blocktimer MPB Primedia Inc. from a joint consortium led by former PLDT Chairman Antonio "Tony Boy" O. Cojuangco, Jr. and Malaysia-based media conglomerate Media Prima Berhad.
Manuel V. Pangilinan Manuel Velez Pangilinan (born July 14, 1946), also known as Manny Pangilinan or by his initials MVP, is a Filipino people, Filipino businessman and sports patron. He is the managing director and CEO of First Pacific, a Hong Kong–based invest ...
expressed that he had intended to acquire ABC as early as 1999. In 2013, MediaQuest, through subsidiary Hasting Holdings, took over and later acquires the 70% ownership share on newspaper ''
BusinessWorld ''BusinessWorld'' is a business newspaper in the Philippines with a nationwide circulation of more than 117,000 (as of March 2014). Founded in 1967 as ''Business Day'', it is Southeast Asia's first daily business newspaper. History ''Busin ...
'' after contributing to the company's capital. The group has previously acquired an 18% stake in national newspaper, 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 broad ...
''. In 2014, MediaQuest acquired a majority stake of 51% in ''
The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...
''. The Belmonte family, owners of the newspaper, retained a 21% stake, as well as management and editorial control. Pangilinan has since appointed Atty. Ray Espinosa as the company's new chairman of the board. In May 2022, PLDT named
Smart Communications Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart, is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines. As of November ...
SVP/Head of Consumer Business Jane Basas as new President and CEO of MediaQuest Holdings, replacing Espinosa who remained as board member and retained his positions for Philstar/Hastings and
Meralco The Manila Electric Company, also known as Meralco (, , stylized in uppercase), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 3 ...
. Basas previously served as President/CEO of Cignal TV from 2016 to 2020. In June 2022, ABS-CBN engaged into advanced talks with TV5's parent company, MediaQuest Holdings to allow its resources combined after Villar Group-backed
Advanced Media Broadcasting System Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) is a broadcast media company in the Philippines. Its main offices and facilities are located at Unit 906A of the Paragon Plaza Building and on the 3rd Floor of Starmalls EDSA Shaw complex, both in Mand ...
acquired ABS-CBN's former frequency, and slated to begin operations in October 2022 as ALLTV-2 and become the flagship station of ALLTV. On August 10, 2022, ABS-CBN and MediaQuest Holdings signed a "convertible note agreement" as announced on the following day for the ABS-CBN's investment into TV5 Network by acquiring 34.99% of the company's common shares, with an option to increase it stake to 49.92% within the next eight years with MediaQuest remained as the TV5's controlling shareholder with 64.79% of TV5's common shares. Meanwhile, MediaQuest Holdings executed a "debt instruments agreement" by acquiring a 38.88% minority stake of ABS-CBN's cable TV arm
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, the company offers broadba ...
through
Cignal TV Cignal TV, Inc. (formerly known as GV Broadcasting System), also known by its legal trading name Mediascape Inc., is a Filipino media and telecommunications firm in the Philippines. A wholly owned subsidiary of the media company MediaQuest Ho ...
, with an option to acquire an additional 61.12% of Sky Cable shares within the next eight years. After ABS-CBN and TV5 had a partnership deal, the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
has set a briefing and SAGIP Representative
Rodante Marcoleta Rodante Dizon Marcoleta (, ; born July 29, 1953) is a Filipino television host, lawyer and politician who is a senator-elect of the Philippines following the 2025 Philippine Senate election. He has served as the representative for the SAGIP ...
commented that TV5 violated the broadcasting franchise with ABS-CBN deal. However, a media briefing that was scheduled a day later was cancelled. On August 24, the two broadcasting companies agreed to pause their closing preparations for the deal following concerns from politicians and some government agencies. However, the agreement was terminated on September 1. In June 2023, the company announced their partnership with ''Eat Bulaga!'' hosts
Tito Sotto Vicente Castelo Sotto, III (; born August 24, 1948), is a Filipino politician and television personality who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He is the longest-serving senator in the history of the upper chamb ...
,
Vic Sotto Marvic Valentin "Vic" Castelo Sotto (born April 28, 1954), popularly known as Bossing, is a Filipino actor, comedian, and television personality. Prolific in film and television in the Philippines since the 1970s, he is known for playing comed ...
,
Joey De Leon Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr. (born October 14, 1946), professionally known as Joey de Leon and also known as Henyo Master, is a Filipino comedian, actor, television host and songwriter. He is one of the members of the comedy trio, collectively ...
to form their own production company, TVJ Productions Inc. after signing a contract with TV5. This occurred a week after they left
TAPE Inc. Television and Production Exponents, Incorporated (also known as TAPE, Inc. or simply TAPE) is a Philippine television production company. It was founded in 1981 by Romeo Jalosjos Sr. and Antonio "Tony" Tuviera. After the last episode of '' ...
due to various issues with the new management.


Assets


MQ Artists Agency

MQ Artists Agency (MQAA, formerly known as Talent5) is a
talent agency A talent agency is a company that represents actors, authors, musicians, model (person), models, professional athlete, athletes, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various industries. Talent agencies specialize, either by creating dep ...
owned by TV5 Network Inc. based in
Mandaluyong Mandaluyong ( ; ), officially the City of Mandaluyong (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly-urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...
,
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
that was founded in December 5, 2010. On May 2, 2024, during TV5 was announced that the agency had been launched as MQ Artists Agency. Representing MediaQuest was Jane Basas, president and CEO of MQuest Ventures. MQAA is the new in-house talent management arm of MQuest Ventures (MQuest). MQuest was launched in 2023 and is described as the “content creation hub” of the MediaQuest Group “combining film and TV production, talent management, and live events.


Television and radio

* TV5 Network, Inc. (TV5) *
Nation Broadcasting Corporation Nation Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is a Philippine radio and television broadcast company established in 1963. As of December 2013, NBC is a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. NBC's radio and t ...
(NBC) (51%) * Mediascape / Cignal TV, Inc. (
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 electroni ...
)


Motion picture

* Cinegear, Inc. (65.7%) * Unitel Group (30%) **UXS Inc. **Straight Shooters *Cignal Entertainment *Epik Studios Inc. (35%) *Sari-Sari Network, Inc. (50%)


Print publishing

*Hastings Holdings (Philstar Media Group) **''
BusinessWorld ''BusinessWorld'' is a business newspaper in the Philippines with a nationwide circulation of more than 117,000 (as of March 2014). Founded in 1967 as ''Business Day'', it is Southeast Asia's first daily business newspaper. History ''Busin ...
'' (70%) **''
The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...
'' (51%) *Stargate Media Corporation (40%)


Other assets

*MQuest Ventures **MQ Live ** TVJ Productions, Inc. (51%) **WinQuest Productions * Philippine Online Sports League, Inc. (14%)


Previous assets

*Beyond Cable Holdings - sold to Benpres Holdings in 2008 **
Home Cable Home Cable was a cable television service in the Philippines. It covered parts of Metro Manila from April 27, 1992, until its closure on June 30, 2005, when it was folded into Sky Cable's operations. Beyond Cable Holdings, a 50-50 joint ventur ...
(1999–2005) *
AKTV AKTV (pronounced "active", officially branded as AKTV on IBC) was the primetime sports programming block in the Philippines. Owned and operated by TV5, it occupied the 5 pm to 11 pm timeslot of IBC; weekend coverage usually began at 11 am to 1 ...
(80% owned by TV5, 20% minority share in
Viva Communications Viva Communications Inc., also known as Viva Entertainment Inc. and simply Viva (stylized in all caps) is a Philippine multinational private conglomerate headquartered in Ortigas Center, Pasig. It was founded in 1981 by Vic del Rosario ...
subsidiary,
Viva Television Studio Viva (formerly Viva Television Corporation) is a Philippine television and film production company owned by Viva Communications. It was founded in 1986. History Viva Communications ventured into television production in 1986 with ''The ...
) - defunct


See also

*
PLDT PLDT, Inc., formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (), is a Philippine telecommunications, internet and digital service company. PLDT is one of the Philippine's major telecommunications providers, along with Globe Te ...


References

{{Philippine production companies and film studios PLDT subsidiaries Mass media companies of the Philippines Companies based in Mandaluyong Entertainment companies of the Philippines Conglomerate companies of the Philippines