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| Formerly | Solar Television Network, Inc. (2010–2014) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Mass media Broadcasting Entertainment |
| Founded | January 5, 2010 (2010-01-05) |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Nationwide |
Key people | Benjamin Ramos(President) D. Edgard A. Cabangon(Chairman) |
| Products | Television program Web portal Digital media |
| Brands | RPTV |
| Services | Broadcasting TV production Cable television Internet Streaming service Satellite television |
| Revenue | PHP169.6 million (FY 2015)[1] |
| PHP-651.85 million (FY 2015)[1] | |
| Owner | JRLT-JHI Corporation |
Number of employees | 328 (FY 2015)[1] |
| Parent | Broadreach Media Holdings, Inc.(ALC Group of Companies) |
| Subsidiaries | Radio Philippines Network (34%) |
Nine Media Corporation (NMC, formerly known asSolar Television Network, Inc. orSTVNI) is aPhilippine-based media company. Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary ofSolar Entertainment Corporation (SEC), a multimedia television and film company owned by Tieng family, it is now solely owned by the ALC Group of Companies through its indirect parent Broadreach Media Holdings, Inc.[2] Its headquarters are located at the ground floor of Worldwide Corporate Center,EDSA cornerShaw Boulevard,Mandaluyong.
NMC owns and operates its sole television propertyRPTV (joint venture withTV5 Network) and also a 34% controlling share in theRadio Philippines Network (RPN).[2]
Solar Entertainment launchedSolar TV in the early 2000s, which was later renamed to Solar USA and then to USA. In 2005, USA was split into two channels, Jack TV and Crime/Suspense.[citation needed]
Solar TV was relaunched on November 29, 2009, onRadio Philippines Network (RPN), then owned by thePhilippine Government Communications Group (since 2007, Solar TV had already entered into anairtime lease agreement with RPN).[citation needed] Its programming grid primarily included American programs, local sports, and lifestyle content. On October 31, 2010, it changed some of its programming content to English and Tagalog.[citation needed]
Solar TV ventured asSolar Television Network, Inc. (STVNI) on January 5, 2010, becoming the Solar Entertainment's corporate television arm.[citation needed] The new company launched an all talk and news channel,Talk TV, on March 2, 2011, co-owned by Solar TV andSouthern Broadcasting Network. (Talk TV would later change its name toSolar News Channel on October 30, 2012.)[citation needed] At the end of 2011, Solar TV launched its own news division calledSolar News. The programs produced by the new division were staffed by formerANC personalities such as Jing Magsaysay,Pia Hontiveros, Nancy Irlanda, Claire Celdran and Mai Rodriguez.[3]
STVNI acquired a 34% stake in the Radio Philippines Network from the Philippine Government as a part of RPN/IBC privatization in 2011.[citation needed]
In November 2013, President and COO of San Miguel Corporation,Ramon Ang, attempted to acquire the majority stake of STVNI from the Tieng family, who controlled the company. He settled for a minority share of STVNI in September 2014.[4]
In the third quarter of 2014, Solar Entertainment chair Wilson Tieng announced that the ALC Group of Companies, owned by late former AmbassadorAntonio Cabangon-Chua, had acquired STVNI and its 34% majority stake on RPN. The sale of STVNI was caused by Solar Entertainment's revenue losses after its investment in RPN.[5][6] After the sale, Wilson Tieng and Robert Rivera resigned from their respective positions as chairman and president of RPN.[7] Solar TV reflected the change in ownership by removing theSolar branding from all Solar News Channel programs; SNC was rebranded as9TV on August 23, 2014.[8][9]
On October 14, 2014, Solar TV Network was renamed asNine Media Corporation, following the brand licencing agreement between the latter and theTurner Broadcasting System to use theCNN brand for RPN's free TV assets and 9TV rebranded asCNN Philippines, which was considered as a transitional brand. It was launched on March 16, 2015.[citation needed]
In September 2015, NMC President and CEO Reggie Galura stepped down from his position and was replaced by Jorge San Agustin as Officer-in-Charge of the network. On October 9, 2016, CNN Philippines Managing EditorArmie Jarin-Bennett was appointed as president and CEO of NMC, replacing San Agustin.[citation needed]
On January 25, 2024, NMC and CNN mutually agreed to shut down CNN Philippines due to financial losses, poor ratings, and loss of advertiser support.[10] Four days later, CNN Philippines confirmed that it had ceased live news production and was to be dissolved on January 31, citing financial losses.[11][12] Broadreach Media Holdings Inc. took over the assets and properties of CNN Philippines following its closure. Broadreach later launched digital news media serviceNewsWatch Plus, which was independently managed by the remaining staff of CNN Philippines.[13]
On January 31, 2024,TV5 Network formed a partnership with Nine Media and RPN to carry selected programming (includingEat Bulaga! andPhilippine Basketball Association games) alongside classic RPN shows under the channel's new branding,RPTV, which was launched the following day. Selected programs fromOne PH andTrue FM also began airing on RPTV, marking its return to analog free-to-air television after five years sinceAksyonTV's closure.[14] On February 6, 2024, Nine Media, TV5 and it's parent companyMediaQuest Holdings formalized their partnership for the new channel.[15]
Prior to ALC Group of Companies' acquisition in 2014, Solar Entertainment Corporation (SEC) and Solar TV (STV) operated as two separate business entities:
Since 2014, Nine Media Corporation has been owned by ALC Group of Companies through its investment unit, JRLT-JHI Corporation, by way of an intermediaryholding company, Broadreach Media Holdings.[16] JRLT-JHI was owned by former Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua which serves as chairman of the company from 2014 until his death in 2016; since then, his family members Ferdinand Chua, Rowena Lumague, Candy Co, Jose Wingkee Jr., and Aida Anora owns 20% equal shares of the company.[citation needed]
While Businessman Ramon Ang reportedly owns a minority share in Nine Media, SEC documents does not show any shares registered under his name. Instead, Ang makes investments through advertisements and paid programming from theSan Miguel Group to Nine Media's sole property, CNN Philippines.[17]
Since Nine Media doesn't need a congressional franchise to operate, the company controls 7RPN stations nationwide. The company also serves as the content provider for RPN's affiliateRPTV together withTV5 Network.
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