SkyCable

Type	Cable Television
Country	Philippines
Availability	National
Founded	by Lopez Group of Companies
Slogan	It Changes You Philippines' Best Cable TV Service (website) The Biggest Show on Air All You Want Under One Perfect Sky (website)
Owner	SkyCable Corporation
Launch date	1992
Official Website	Sky Corporate Site

SkyCable is a direct-to-home cable TV and subscription service, established by the Lopez Group of Companies and Central CATV Group Of Companies. It is one of several sister companies of ABS-CBN.

SkyCable should not be confused as a service of British Sky Broadcasting in the UK, neither it nor its parent, News Corporation, own any interest in SkyCable even as Star TV channels are carried by the former. SkyCable offers a range of analog and digital Cable Television services, and also offers high-speed internet services and VOiP services.

[edit] Company timeline

[edit] 1990s

• 1990 – SkyCable is founded.
• January 28, 1992 – SkyCable began operations.
• June 12, 1994 – SkyCable launches its first local movie channel, Sky1 The Filipino Channel(later Pinoy Blockbuster Channel then Cinema One).
• May 1, 1996 – SkyCable launches its first local news channel, Sarimanok News Network (now ABS-CBN News Channel).
• November 2, 1996 – SkyCable launches Cinemax.
• August 31, 1997 – SkyCable launches MGM Gold.
• November 30, 1997 – SkyCable changes its channel guide; Studio 23 moves to channel 23.
• December 15, 1997 – SkyCable launches Hallmark Channel.
• 1 January 1999 – The "i" channel ceases to air on SkyCable.
• May 1, 1999 – SkyCable removes STAR Movies and replaces Nickelodeon as a launch channel.
• May-June 1999 – SkyCable removes STAR World and Channel V.
• July 11, 1999 – SkyCable launches Lifestyle Network.

[edit] 2000s

• May 1, 2000 – SkyCable launches AXN.
• May 20, 2001 – Pinoy Blockbuster Channel replaces Cinema One as the digital Filipino movie channel.
• October 19, 2001 – Home Cable loses STAR TV channels, SkyCable acquires Home Cable. SkyCable also launches its own sports channel (channel 29).
• December 31, 2001 – SkyCable launches ABC Asia Pacific (now Australia Network).
• April 18, 2002 – SkyCable and Home Cable relaunches STAR TV channels (namely ESPN, STAR Sports, STAR Movies, STAR World and National Geographic Channel) after six months of absence.
• June 3, 2002 – Vid-Ok becomes MYX as the local music channel.
• July 1, 2002 – SkyCable launches Disney Channel.
• October 1, 2002 – SkyCable removes ABC Asia Pacific and launches TCT.
• November 17, 2002 – Home Cable removes Disney Channel and Hallmark Channel Asia.
• May 7, 2004 – SkyCable and Home Cable launches ETC and Sports Plus (now a defunct channel).
• July 1, 2004 – SkyCable and Home Cable changes their hotline number to +6326310000.
• July 1, 2005 – SkyCable changes its channel guide; acquires Home Cable and Sun Cable.
• October 1, 2005 – SkyCable launches Hero on test broadcast from November 30 to December 31, on channel 44. Programming started in January 2006.
• October 15 and December 15 – SkyCable launches Crime/Suspense and ETC 2nd Avenue (now 2nd Avenue).
• January 2006 – SkyCABLE became SkyCable Gold, and Home Cable and SunCable became SkyCable Silver.
• March 16, 2006 – SkyCABLE launches SkyCABLE Platinum.
• April 11, 2006 – SkyCable launches commercials for SkyCable Platinum, seen on MySky & SkySked and as a filter on some channels.
• April 12, 2006 to July 20, 2006 – SkyCable shows previews of SkyCable Platinum Channels on SkySked Channel 33. Channels from the HBOPak each have 5 to 10 minute previews, while channels from the Metro Pack each have 15 to 30 minute previews.
• July 12, 2006 – QTV moved to channel 24, and ZPDee Channel was moved to channel 11.
• September 1, 2006 – KBS World replaced Arirang TV (Channel 75).
• October 19, 2006 – SkyCable main offices were moved to 33rd Floor, Tektite East Tower, Exchange Road, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City.
• November 13, 2006 – UniversiTV premiers on channel 5.
• Dec. 2006 – SkyCable launches its children's club, called SkyCable Fun Club
• April 12, 2007 – Skycable launches Teleradyo Channel 22, leaving MTV on Channel 57 and Channel News Asia was moved to channel 79 (channel 67 on Skycable Digital). Also, SkyCable launches an infomercial about their Digibox product, seen on MySky Channel 33.
• June 26, 2007 – SkySked on Channel 11 was reformatted.
• August 13, 2007 – TeleRadyo was moved to channel 26, Zpdee was moved to channel 61, Iglesia Ni Cristo TV was moved to channel 22, NHK World Premium was moved to channel 78 and Makisig Network (formerly Karera Channel) was moved to channel 76.
• September 1, 2007 – Test Broadcast of another sports channel - Balls. It currently broadcasts the 2007 US Open which is exclusive to SkyCable.
• September 15, 2007 – Test Broadcast of MySky Channel 33 is reformatted.
• November 7, 2007 – CUBEiTV was transferred to channel 67 while ABS-CBN Pay-Per-View was also transferred from channel 25. SkyCable's new CPI channels and the replacement for Solar's channels started its preview on Channel 25 for Velvet, Channel 33 for Balls and Channel 61 for Maxxx.
• January 1, 2008 – Six Solar Entertainment Channels were removed, namely, Basketball TV, ETC, 2nd Avenue, C/S, Jack TV & Solar Sports. AXN Beyond, FOX Crime and KidsCo were made available on SkyCable, but KidsCo is only available to Gold subscribers. Channel 25 became SkyCable Platinum preview channel. Disney Channel becomes available to Silver subscribers.
• January 30, 2008 – SkyCable's corporate name changed from Central CATV Inc. to SkyCable Corporation.
• February 5, 2008 – Power TV, a Chinese premium channel on channel 64 was replaced with Phoenix Chinese Channel.
• February 6, 2008 – Asian Food Channel now available on Channel 58 transferring Da-Ai TV to Channel 61.
• March 2008 – Lifestyle Network is now a 24/7 channel.
• March 1, 2008 – Asia Plus, a Chinese premium channel on Channel 65 was replaced with Phoenix InfoNews Channel.
• April 1, 2008 – MySky Channel 33 is reformatted again.
• June 1, 2008 – SkyCable Baguio launches C-Load Prepaid Cable TV.
• August 9, 2008 – ABC, a VHF channel on Channel 10 was replaced with TV5.
• September 19, 2008 – SkyCable had its first High-Definition broadcast starting with the Ryder Cup from Sept 19 to 22
• September 22, 2008 – Discovery Real Time is now Discovery Turbo
• October 4, 2008 – C/S 9 replaced C/S on RPN (Channel 14).
• October 28, 2008 – Basketball TV returned on channel 149, but you need an additional payment for that channel.
• January 1, 2009 – FX launched on channel 156.^[1]
• January 15, 2009 – Zoe TV 33 (UHF 33), ACQ-KBN (UHF 39), and 3ABN (UHF 45) were added to the SkyCable Digital platform.
• February 9, 2009 – Channel 113 has been changed from Season Pass to Manila Jockey Club on the SkyCable Digital platform.
• February 26, 2009-March 2, 2009 – Channel 61 airs the Accenture Match Play Championship Games temporarily replacing Da Ai.
• February 27, 2009 – EuroNews and TV Maria starts airing on digital platform channel 155 and 160.
• March 1, 2009 – Channel V has been moved from Platinum package on channel 135 to channel 59 as part of Makisig Network and STAR TV agreement and TCT Network has been moved to channel 60 while EWTN was moved to the digital platform channel 161.^[2]
• March 2, 2009 – The History Channel Asia, Biography Channel Asia, Crime & Investigation Network Asia, FX Asia starts airing on Digital Platform (select areas). Platinum channels, CNBC and Arirang TV become available for Gold and Silver subscribers respectively.^[3]
• March 7, 2009 – EWTN was moved back to analog package Channel 61.
• April 17, 2009 – C/S Origin is now on Channel 33 replacing MySky.
• April 20, 2009 – Basketball TV is now available for SILVER package.
• April 28, 2009 – SkyCable announced that it will be providing two High-definition channels Discovery HD Asia and The History Channel Asia HD to its cable subscribers in Metro Manila.^[4][5]
• May 1, 2009 – Channel [V] Philippines moved to channel 25. Platinum Preview channel moved to channel 22.
• July 15, 2009 – Sci-Fi Philippines replaced C/S Origin.
• August 6, 2009 – Makisig Network ceased airing.
• August 15, 2009 – Al Jazeera English News Channel starts airing on digital platform Channel 152.
• September 25, 2009 – All Sports Network and PBB Double Up 24/7 was added to the Digital Platform Channel 158 and Channel 150, respectively.
• October 1, 2009 – All Sports Network was launched on SkyCable as an Ala Carte channel.
• November 29, 2009 – C/S 9 is now Solar TV merging programs from C/S Origin & Jack TV.

[edit] Channel line-up

Below is a numerical representation of the current SkyCable channel lineup.

This list is lifted from the SkySked Channel in different SkyCable Platform channels.^{[6][7][8][9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Channels not yet available on SkyCable can be found on the Future Channels section.

The channel listing is not applicable to subscribers in the CAMANAVA, Rizal and other SkyCable Provincial areas.

[edit] Future channels

These channels are not yet available on any of SkyCable's subscription plan or pack. SkyCable has no public announcement yet about any or all of these channels, but may have a formal contract or are negotiating with SkyCable for one. In any case, the Channel Listing section is more reliable data-wise, for they have citation unlike this section.

• Baby TV
• BabyFirst ^[15]
• BBC Entertainment
• BBC Lifestyle
• BBC Knowledge
• CBeebies
• Daystar TV
• DW-TV Asia + ^[16]
• E! Entertainment Asia-Pacific
• ESPNews Asia ^[17]
• Eurosport
• Eurosport News
• FTV HD
• Food Network HD Asia ^[18]
• Fox Asia - Launching on Jan. 2010 in Asia through SkyCable
• HBO On Demand
• HBO HD Asia - Will be included in SkyCable's HD Package on Dec. 28, 2009
• Jack TV
• Kix ^[19]
• MMDA TV (Launching on Jan. 2010 SkyCable)
• Nat Geo Wild (Soon on SkyCable Platinum)
• Nat Geo Music (Soon on SkyCable Platinum)
• National Geographic Channel HD (Soon on SkyCable HD)
• NHK World TV ^[20]
• Russia Today
• Raitalia
• RHTV
• Sky News
• Smile of a Child
• Solar Sports
• SET Asia
• Soundtrack Channel
• STAR Chinese Movies 2
• Sundance Channel Asia ^[21]
• The Style Network Asia ^[22]
• Thrill ^[23]
• Travel Channel Asia ^[24]
• TBN
• TruTV Asia ^[25]
• TVN Asia ^[26]
• Universal Channel
• Warner TV Asia ^[27]
• WeTV Asia ^[28]
• Xing Kong

[edit] SkyCable Digibox

The Digibox, besides preventing illegal cable connections also provides an enhanced viewing experience with features such as clearer picture quality, electronic program guide, channel organizer, child lock and games. In some areas, the use of a Digibox is required or else the subscriber will lose some of their channels.^[29] SkyCable marketing head Ray Montinola revealed that the company is also set to launch another new service called video on demand (VOD) within the year . Also in the works are two other new services called picture-in-picture and personal video recorder (PVR) which may be made available next year which will require additional set-top boxes. The PVR is similar to TiVo which has a very large following in the US.

[edit] SkyCable HD

The Philippines' first high-definition television broadcast was initiated by SkyCable on September 19, 2008 with the 2008 Ryder Cup in high-definition quality.^[30] It is broadcasted at 1080i resolution. SkyCable currently offers Discovery HD Asia, The History Channel HD and Balls HD (which has UAAP games in HD).^[4] To receive the service, subscribers must pay an extra monthly fee and procure a set-top box with HDMI however there is a 15-day free trial of the service.

SkyCable's telecast of the opening of the UAAP season 72 games was the first nationally-produced show in true high definition.^[31]

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Alleged GMA-7 signal tampering

In mid-2003, GMA Network, the primary rival of SkyCable's sister company ABS-CBN, accused SkyCable of purposely tampering with the signal of GMA received by SkyCable's subscribers. At that time, SkyCable changed its channel assignments, moving GMA to channel 14.^[32] The National Telecommunications Commission ordered SkyCable to move GMA to an appropriate channel.^[33] SkyCable complied with the order and moved GMA to Channel 12 on the system.^[34]

GMA provides a telephone line where subscribers can complain to GMA about the signal quality. The phone line has been promoted during newscasts, and is being used to collect evidence in preparation for a formal complaint against SkyCable. Up to now, there has been no formal complaint filed against SkyCable despite the promotion of the telephone line where subscribers can complain to GMA about the signal quality of SkyCable^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Solar Entertainment channels

Starting on January 1, 2008, six Solar Entertainment Corporation channels were removed from SkyCable with the exception of Shop TV. SkyCable had wanted to replace Jack TV and ETC Entertainment Central with its own channels called Maxxx and Velvet but Solar decided not to renew its contract with SkyCable altogether rather than remove two of its top-rating channels. It is also speculated that the non-renewal of the Solar channels may be related to Solar Entertainment and GMA Network acquiring the exclusive rights to air the boxing matches of Manny Pacquiao.

Three of these six channels moved to free television. ETC moved to SBN, 2nd Avenue moved to RJTV and C/S moved to RPN. Meanwhile, some Jack TV programs and Basketball TV programs aired for a short while at ABC before transferring to C/S, which was later renamed C/S 9 with the acquisition of the PBA rights. Due to this development, other C/S programs transferred to a brand-new channel on Global Destiny Cable called C/S Origin to make way for the PBA and PBL programming.

In October 2008, Basketball TV returned as a premium service to Metro Manila subscribers of SkyCable. However, SkyCable subscribers outside of Metro Manila do not have to pay a premium fee since the exclusivity agreement with Global Destiny Cable covers only Metro Manila.

In April 2009, BTV became available for no additional fee to subscribers SkyCable Silver and above who have the Digibox. C/S Origin also started airing on Channel 33 replacing MySky but it ceased operation on July 15, 2009, simultaneously along with other Philippine cable networks until it was replaced by Sci-Fi Channel.

[edit] Competition

SkyCable competes with many cable TV providers in Metro Manila, some only operating in a certain locale in Metro Manila. But SkyCable's closest competitor in Metro Manila is Global Destiny Cable. Both have their own affiliates nationwide, and both provide their own cable internet services to subscribers. With the exodus of Jack TV & Solar Sports from SkyCable, Global Destiny is now a viable competitor, despite the fact that the two cable operators are serving two distinct markets (Global Destiny Cable emphasizing more on Asian programming preferences than English shows and channels). Cablelink is another emerging competitor servicing areas in the southern portions of Metro Manila and some areas of Cavite.

Another major competitor in the Philippine pay TV industry is Dream Satellite TV, the country's first and only satellite TV provider. It operates nationwide because it can transmit its signals to its subscribers via satellite. Dream offers a very limited, and continuously shrinking number of channels, at prices far higher than the top packages of the cable providers. Dream's rival G Sat owned by Global Broadcasting and Multimedia Inc. (GBMI), also offers limited channels including Solar Entertainment Channels (except C/S Origin) and few of the favorite and international channels.

Aside from Dream and G Sat, another Philippine DTH provider is Cignal Digital TV owned by MediaScape, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. under the PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund. Cignal air few of local and favorite channel including 4 High Definition channel which will launch this June 2009.

GV Broadcasting Systems, Inc. on the other hand (also known as GV Sat) owned by 360Media Corp. a sister company of MediaScape which brought by Cignal. This DTH provider features never before seen Filipino channels both TV (Local and International Channels) and Radio channel.

[edit] References

• The Philippine Star, September 7, 2007, Main Section, Page 16
• Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 8, 2007, G Section, Page 6

[edit] External links

• Official Website
  • SkyCable Prepaid Website
  • SkyCable Silver Website
  • SkyCable Gold Website
  • SkyCable Platinum Website
• Official Corporate Website
• SkyBroadband Website
• SkyVoice Website
• Benpres Holdings Corporation
• Lopez Link monthly newsletter of the Lopez Group