It seems that since the shutdown of the ABS-CBN network, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has been losing revenue.
On September 3, MTRCB announced its proposal to allow them to regulate content on international streaming site Netflix and other related streaming services.
MTRCB Legal Affairs Division chief Jonathan Presquito told the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship that it is their mandate to review all motion pictures in the country.
“Stream services like Netflix are video on-demand platforms. We have to regulate those platforms. We have to ensure that those materials being shown on those platforms are compliant with MTRCB laws,” he said.
Accordingly, the latest MTRCB fee for a full-length movie is around 12,550 pesos and for festival shows it costs around 6,100 pesos for 15 days.
Compute compute tayo… TIBA-TIBA NA NAMAN!!! Habang hirap na hirap makabangon ang industriya ng pelikula at TV, sisipain pa sa sahig ng MTRCB tapos compute compute… https://t.co/bLwnlgNmXc
— Toñet (@tonetjadaone) September 3, 2020
Extending its rights to regulate online streaming platforms could give them huge collections.
Also, many think that MTRCB should not venture into the digital platform and should focus on movie and television only.
ABSCBN closure is converting PH into digital aggressively and MTRCB is losing its purpose. No more Movies to screen and less options in FREE TV. They want to venture into something they're not. There's a reason why you're called MTRCB–
MOVIE & TELEVISION –ONLY.
— Rod Magaru (@rodmagaru) September 4, 2020
Aside from this, many saw MTRCB’s move as a plan to target ABS-CBN since it just launched its iWant app to include TFC Online. Knowing that the media giant is still struggling with its finances the MTRCB plans to dominate online streaming.
https://twitter.com/majasuperstar/status/1301676892882268166
https://twitter.com/nickvillavecer/status/1301500113752215552
Wala na bang budget ang MTRCB kase wala ng ABSCBN!? GINUSTO NYO YAN!!!
MGA HUTANGINAMERZZZZ https://t.co/uX0fdaY8La
— 2025🪫 (@KapamilyaV) September 3, 2020
Film director Joey Reyes was right when he spoke about the impact of ABS-CBN’s closure on the entertainment industry and the economy.
He reiterated that not granting ABS-CBN a franchise renewal can cause drastic changes in the media industry since the network had a significant contribution to the economy.
He said, “What ‘they’ do not realize is that the closure of ABS-CBN does not only mean the end of a network but a major change in the landscape of free tv, advertising, and other ancillary businesses & industries.”
“The implications to the economy and the very structure of free entertainment are now undergoing this drastic shift that can obliterate the model of accessible entertainment as we knew it before,” he added.
