What I learned from the ABS-CBN Shutdown

It's been more than 2 years since the media giant ABS-CBN has been shut down by the Philippine government and Philippine TV has also been dead since. Along with the onslaught of the pandemic is the 360-degree shift of media entertainment which challenged not only ABS-CBN but other local media companies well. In the early days of the shutdown, it was absolute madness and confusion; ABS-CBN leaders and employees were shook to the core and lost their focus but after some time, with a solid plan and direction as laid down by their new breed of leaders, ABS-CBN has still survived, just laying their cards down while paving their way for global domination.

GOOD LEADERSHIP-MANAGEMENT IS KEY

It was a dark moment most especially for those who depended on ABS-CBN for their income, but the company had to downsize their manpower to prevent it from plunging further into bankruptcy. It was all over the news, some of the biggest names in ABS-CBN, artists, management personnel and partners included were laid off and given the freedom to look for new opportunities so they may still continue earning. And while their top management were attending hearings in the senate, they also had to do some changes internally with their organizational chart. There were a lot of movements and the future of the company depended on these changes.

One of the most notable movements was the departure of their former Star Magic Head (talent management), Mr. M, who was replaced by their former entertainment head, Direk Laurenti Dyogi, known as the "Big Brother" of ABS-CBN, the one who made PBB happen. Little did we know that watching Direk Lauren's interviews about his plans for the company during the early days of the shutdown was already a sneak peek of what's going to happen 2 years after. Fast forward to this day, the seeds that he planted 2 years ago are already starting to grow and these ventures aren't even dependent on a free-to-air tv franchise.

These big decisions are very very crucial and could eventually make or break the company and decisiveness paired with hard-work and perseverance from the leaders are truly important, not only for the sake of the company, but most especially to its employees who would mostly benefit from it. And with what's currently happening, ABS-CBN's slow but sure rise shows great promise.

CONTENT IS KING

For quite some time, ABS-CBN's rival network, GMA had a monopoly over free tv and had a huge share of income while ABS-CBN is slowly trimming their losses for about half a year into their shutdown. However, despite all these limitations, ABS-CBN shows are still rating in free TV. What's not surprising on the other hand is the domination of ABS-CBN talents and programs on internet-based streaming platforms including Netflix, Viu, Kumu and Youtube, which only shows that their program quality is getting at par with the global standard and are also well-received by the international audience.

The word "local" has been a running insult by many to shows and movies shown on tv, but with the recent implementation of pre-filmed contents, ABS-CBN production arms have had ample time to perfect each episode and with this they have already reclaimed the word and showed that "local" is something that we can actually be proud of. This is evidenced by their recent release of the Filipino adaptation of the popular drama series, Dr. Foster, The Broken Marriage Vow. The show showcased not only the beautiful scenery of Baguio as their filming location, but local artisans and designers as well by using their creations as the wardrobe of the cast. With the help of releasing content that has substance, the world is starting to recognize that Filipinos are capable of competing in the international arena.

INTERNET IS THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT

In the era of the internet, the competition has been tough lately when it comes to entertainment media. With the presence of streaming platforms, most consumers are shifting to internet media in their content consumption and the edge of ABS-CBN when it comes to this fact is the proactive participation of their leaders in venturing into this possibility. Apart from their existing streaming platform, iWantTFC (formerly iWantTV), they are also strengthening their online ticketing service, KTX for movies and concerts, producing series and movies for Netflix, Viu and more.

With their plans for global domination, ABS-CBN has also ventured into the "idol" industry by producing their own 'P-POP (Pinoy Pop) idol' groups. Almost everyone knows that the K-POP or Korean Pop fever is currently one of the hottest trends in the music industry, which changed the way we consume music nowadays, and ABS-CBN believes that our own talents are capable of achieving what these K-Pop stars have achieved. Worldwide phenomenons BTS, Twice and Blackpink are only a few of K-Pop talents that are dominating the world stage and Direk Lauren, who took the initiative of starting a training camp for P-Pop talents in 2018, also took a calculated risk to continue with this venture, and is now starting to reap the fruits of their investment years ago.

In the coming years, with Direk Lauren and the current management in the helm of ABS-CBN, their future is looking bright. Their releases are well-received and their advertisers and stockholders are starting to notice that ABS-CBN still can produce content and reach a huge number of audiences even without a franchise. With the right decisions, ABS-CBN can rise from the ashes and will become stronger than ever.