The cessation is seen one of the long-term impacts of the ongoing consumer migration that sees streaming and OTT platforms, taking the lead in content consumption.
Local television continues to erode in terms of viewership, as streaming platforms continue to draw audiences from traditional platforms. As over-the-top media present convenience and variety, consumer migration between traditional television and streaming platforms have been directed towards the latter.
True enough, Filipino shows are making waves on Netflix, with some titles topping the local most watched lists.
This month, the country’s biggest media network, GMA Network, is shutting down two of its digital free-to-air sub-channels, HallyPop and Pinoy Hits. Many attribute this closure to the ongoing consumer shift to streaming platforms.
Shrinking viewership caused a sharp decline in advertising revenues, as brands, themselves, allocate bigger budget for online advertising. With revenue falling, it seems GMA Network has no other choice left, but cease the existence of the aforementioned channels.
There are, however, some who sees this change in local television landscape, still a long-term impact of ABS-CBN’s shutdown in 2020. Without major competition, GMA Network was practically left alone, to keep traditional television viewership, alive. The choice suddenly fell between streaming and free-to-air television, a battle GMA, as it turned out, had no upperhand.
Noticed that even without ABS-CBN, GMA Network still lost a big chunk of its pre-pandemic viewership, and it even though it opened new TV stations nationwide, overall viewership kept falling, in the past two years.
Before this shutdown, GMA Network also notably discontinued two major regional network newscasts, ‘Balitang Southern Tagalog’ and ‘Balitang Ilocandia.’
What’s next for local television? When major networks, themselves, seem adamant to adjust to the changing landscape, does it have the chance to survive?
