ABS-CBN goes beyond TV

The company that introduced Philippine TV in October 1953 or 55 years ago has become more than just a broadcasting network. It is the country’s largest media conglomerate.

It continues to serve Filipinos globally through all forms of media connection such as free TV, cable TV, cinema and music distribution, Internet and mobile phone services, magazines and radio.

“ABS-CBN feels duty-bound to expand its reach because more and more Filipinos are compelled to migrate or work abroad to address the economic needs of their families,” says ABS-CBN president Charo Santos-Concio.

In 2007, the Wall Street Journal Asia Survey ranked ABS-CBN as No. 3 in innovation category among Filipino companies owing to the services of TFC Now, which allows viewers to watch ABS-CBN programs via the Internet at any time and place that they choose.

The same survey cited ABS-CBN as the only media company in the Top 10 list of most admired Filipino companies.

Santos-Concio said the company is also gratified that the Filipinos are generous enough to support the various public service projects of the ABS-CBN Foundation.

“We hope that through the various platforms and content, ABS-CBN can help bring out the best in the Filipino and help open more windows of opportunity for every Filipino family,” she said.

ABS-CBN jumped to the 43rd slot in the SEC’s 2007 list of Top 200 corporations from the 68th place in the previous year, after the country’s largest media firm’s net profit in 2007 jumped by an annualized 71 percent.

The company — which has interests in radio, cable TV, movie production and publishing — had a net profit of P1.27-B and total sales of P19.89-B in 2007.

ABS-CBN had a second-quarter net profit of P514-M, up 12 percent from P459-M in the same quarter last year.

ABS-CBN is now part of the roster of blue-chips in the 30-company mainshare of the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) since Nov. 14.

The PSE changed the composition of its blue-chip index as part of its regular review of indices. The review covered trading activity from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. To qualify for inclusion or retention in the prestigious list of PSEi companies, a listed company must satisfy five criteria — free float shares, free float market capitalization, tradability, average daily trading value and volume turnover ratio.

To ensure that ABS-CBN reaches the growing number of Filipino expatriates worldwide, ABS-CBN Global has introduced other products to the international market aside from TFC and TFCNow. Its latest and most technologically advanced offering called TFCko has redefined TV viewing by giving viewers personal access to more than 10,000 hours of their favorite shows and movies and allowing them to rewind, fast-forward and pause anytime they want.

Going beyond TV while listening to its loyal customers’ needs, ABS-CBN Global has also made available services such as Sarimanok One prepaid phone card, Starry Starry Store on-line shopping center, EasyRemit money remittance and SarKargo forwarding service.

With offices in the US, Canada, UAE, KSA, the UK, Italy, Australia and Japan, ABS-CBN Global is set to launch another innovative product and roll out its current services to more countries in its commitment to serve the Filipino wherever he chooses to be.

ABS-CBN recently launched a new TV spot that depicts ABS-CBN’s vision beyond TV. It was created by ABS-CBN’s Marketing Group, Corporate Communications Division and Creative Communication Management.