A Future Pinoy Live TV Channel Streaming Sites?

As popular Internet streaming sites such as YouTube and Netflix continues to supplant on traditional TV, even emerging providers around the world wanted to challenge these as they often took on long-term investment to their loyal customers as "online media audience". If quality content was the priority, then popularity and appeal of online serial or theatrical to target audience may apply.

Take a current condition of legacy cable TV providers. Whether analog or digital, a coaxial cable wired TV system was only limited to SD (480i o 576i) and HD (1080i) format, but not on 4K and 8K content. Assigning a wired TV channels were limited to a maximum of 181 channels (NTSC, 6 MHz band) or an estimated, if not yet available verified sources, maximum of 135 to 155 channels (PAL/SECAM, 8 and 7 MHz band respectively). [That is, 6 × 181 = 1,086; 1,086 ÷ 8 ≈ 135; 1,086 ÷ 7 ≈ 155]

A modern-day fiber optic broadband Internet in digital form, on the other hand, may carry unlimited number of streaming live TV channels in HD and potential 4K and 8K content, if and only if it requires advanced video encoding compression to reduce a demanding data footprint to millions of subscribers even at powerful data center.

Streaming live TV channel, known as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), was introduced experimentally in early 2000s, started in WebTV in the U.S. and later MSN TV 2. Although earlier prototype has a separate coaxial cable for watching wired TV networks and a dial-up (or later DSL) network for Internet browsing, streaming media was only limited to low resolution, low frame rate format.

In mid-decade 2000s until early 2010s, as verified on Wikipedia article, various providers worldwide have had often attempted to improve the prototype of IPTV boxes to carry unlimited number of channels, if and only if it can only work well on improved high-speed DSL network and later an early stage of fiber-optic network roll-out. The IPTV legacy prototype may not last long, not until an Android OS streaming TV box or smart TV (including competing platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, FireTV, etc.) became more traction to customers in pre-pandemic period before 2020.

Modern-day streaming box or smart TV not only equipped with streaming apps such as Netflix and YouTube but it may often offer IPTV app configured by Internet network providers in a certain specified country. Sometimes it was often equipped with proprietary conditional access system (CAS) memory to unlock encrypted live TV channels, or otherwise it maybe likely open-sourced made by third-party providers.

Pluto TV, Hulu, Roku Channel, YouTube TV, Peacock, and Sling TV are the examples of popular, legitimate, open marketed, over-the-top (OTT) livestream TV providers in the U.S. market that can work well in any fiber-optic network providers. Although often regarded as IPTV to call, these providers may be release key channels if and only if giving a permission to most TV broadcasters, both free-to-air and wired, with royalties and contractual terms.

There were a lots a long story on worldwide roll-out of modern-day IPTV platform depending on branding, target marketing schemes, and reliability to customers as a substitute to legacy cable TV. Take for example is U.K.-based Sky TV Network that introduced Sky Q, a 2-in-1 DVB-S2/T2/C and IPTV unit that can stream even 4K content on broadband Internet.

IPTV In Philippine Market

The transition from older analog landline telephone twin copper wire to advanced high-speed fiber-optic network led to the greater traction for most customers a convenient broadband Internet with less latency. Budget-conscious consumer may start in prepaid with nominal data bandwidth (for example, 25 Mbps) while the postpaid ones in high speed (for example, 200 Mbps).

Aside from Internet browsing even on their mobile computing device thru Wi-fi connected home fiber network, it's up for the users at home to connect their smart TV or streaming box and watch online as a substitute to traditional cable TV.

ABS-CBN was the first provider that conceptualized web video streaming site ABS-CBN Now in mid-decade 2000s. In order to watch online, it requires a credit card payment and once charged it requires Windows Media Player (version 7 and later) to unlock encrypted content. The platform, later renamed as TFC Now, not only released worldwide but may also work well in Philippines.

But due to rampant piracy of streaming catch-up episodes of ABS-CBN TV shows by third-party video sharing streaming sites beyond YouTube, the network launched iWantTV in early 2010s and rolled-out in the Philippines. It also launched a streaming app targeted for most 3G or 4G mobile users in early 2015. The platform later rebranded as iWant in late 2016 and later iWantTFC in 2020 as a merge between iWant and TFC.tv targeted for smart TV or streaming box.

The ABS-CBN streaming platform as mentioned above had also introduced a livestream channels in high definition currently capped at 1080p 30 fps in "utility" H.264 codec, from the main local channel (later rebranded as Kapamilya Channel in 2020 in time of analog free TV shutdown) to DZMM Teleradyo to ANC. Early concept started as "exclusive premium tier" due to royalty and later transitioned to open access viewing giving a way to Chromecasting capable to receive from Android mobile devices to Android smart TV or streaming box. The only exception was livestream channel TFC that requires yearly subscription.

PLDT subsidiary Cignal TV, the leading provider of direct-to-home satellite TV, introduced Cignal Play streaming app that features key livestream channels such as TV5 and various One Ph branding in sports and news.

Upstream Ph, a Globe Telecom subsidiary, launched in late 2020s, while other emerging locally streaming sites followed suit in that time such as Vivamax, Jungo Pinoy (launched late 2022), and JuanFlix.

What about the succession beyond traditional coaxial cable TV providers by using only fiber-optic networks? One of the current local IPTV provider was Converge Vision, soft launched in 2022 and later evolved with further traction to key Converge home fiber subscribers. Cablelink and Royal Cable, for example, followed suit on that matter.

PLDT and Sky Cable had already launched their own IPTV app that can access exclusively to their fiber-optic network, such as "wired" Cignal TV satellite feed (as part of the branding as "TVolution") and Sky Cable "coaxial cable TV" feed, respectively.

Rolling out IPTV thru fiber-optic network in Philippine market may not just release such overnight, probably because it requires a permission to Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTA) without hurting to small player legacy coaxial cable TV providers in regional areas, unless the platform may give a license issued from National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

What about the concerns from key regional small player cable TV providers partly connected to Federation of International Cable TV Association of the Philippines (FICTAP)? Well, it's up for their survival to maintain their ageing legacy platform until they would probably discontinue in the future.

Future Branded Pinoy Live TV Streaming?

Just as I mentioned on the title of this blog, will a future localized, branded live TV channel streaming platform be possibly roll-out that can be fit to any fiber-optic network providers in the Philippines, succeeding legacy coaxial cable or satellite TV platform? Well, I'll be cautious without speculating to share to you in my sample name listing here unless the potential providers may give permission in royalty and contractual terms from local and foreign wired TV channels.

But I wish that they should rather use an advanced video codecs such as MPEG-based (LCEVC H.264, HEVC, or VVC) or open-sourced (VP9 or AV1) in 1080p 60 fps to minimize data footprint while maintaining high quality livestream video channels.