Philippine television is entering a period of significant transformation as audiences increasingly divide their attention between traditional broadcast channels, streaming services, social media, and other digital platforms.
Rather than signaling the disappearance of television, the shift is pushing established networks to rethink how programs are produced, distributed, and monetized.
TRADITIONAL TV REMAINS RELEVANT
Despite the rapid expansion of digital platforms, television continues to command a substantial Filipino audience, particularly for news, public affairs, entertainment, sports, and locally produced drama.
GMA Network remains a major force in the country’s free-to-air television industry. The network reported consolidated net income of ₱2.197 billion for 2025, up 6.39 percent from the previous year, while consolidated revenues increased by 3 percent. GMA also said it retained the lead in Nielsen’s national television measurements during 2025.
According to GMA’s own Nielsen-based figures, the network reached 86.2 percent of viewers nationwide during 2025, equivalent to nearly 62 million people.
These figures indicate that traditional television still possesses considerable reach, even as audiences increasingly consume content elsewhere.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING HOW FILIPINOS DISCOVER CONTENT
The bigger challenge for television is not simply competition from another television network—it is competition for people’s time and attention.
The Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report found that social media and video networks have become the dominant source of news in the Philippines, while television and print continue their longer-term decline. The report also found that fewer Filipinos are accessing news directly through television, radio, or news websites, while social-media use remains strong.
The broader digital environment is substantial. DataReportal estimated that the Philippines had 97.5 million internet users and 90.8 million social-media user identities in January 2025. It also reported an estimated 57.7 million YouTube users based on Google’s advertising-reach data, although that figure should not be interpreted as an exact count of monthly active users.
For television networks, this means the battle for viewers increasingly extends beyond the television screen.
Programs must now compete with short-form videos, creators, livestreams, podcasts, online personalities and on-demand entertainment that audiences can access whenever they choose.
THE RISE OF THE “MULTI-PLATFORM” TV NETWORK
Instead of treating streaming and social media purely as competitors, Philippine broadcasters are increasingly using them as additional distribution channels.
ABS-CBN provides one of the clearest examples. Without its former nationwide broadcast franchise, the company has expanded its multi-platform strategy through partnerships involving television channels, YouTube, Facebook, iWant and other distribution platforms.
In 2026, ABS-CBN announced that several of its programs would simultaneously be available through TV5, ALLTV2, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWant and TFC.
The arrangement demonstrates how the boundaries between television networks and digital platforms are becoming increasingly fluid.
A program may premiere on television, generate clips for social media, become available through streaming, and subsequently reach audiences through connected-TV devices.
STREAMING IS NO LONGER JUST AN ALTERNATIVE
Streaming has also become an important part of the business strategy of local media companies.
ABS-CBN relaunched iWant in July 2025 with an expanded streaming experience covering shows, movies and live content across smartphones, tablets, desktops and smart TVs. The company positioned the service as a digital home for Filipino content, including original programming.
The company subsequently expanded iWant’s content and partnerships. In 2026, iWant and PlayTime Entertainment announced a co-production partnership for new original programs, demonstrating that streaming platforms are increasingly becoming production partners rather than simply repositories for existing television programs.
ABS-CBN has also experimented with putting established television properties directly into the streaming environment. The return of “MMK,” for example, was structured as a limited series on iWantTFC, with episodes becoming available on the streaming platform ahead of their television broadcast.
This model allows traditional television brands to retain their identity while adapting their content for audiences who prefer on-demand viewing.
THE CREATOR ECONOMY IS ADDING ANOTHER LAYER OF COMPETITION
Television networks are also competing with individual creators and influencers who can build large audiences without operating a conventional broadcast channel.
The Reuters Institute’s 2026 Philippines report found that 36 percent of respondents consumed content from creators or influencers primarily focused on news, while another 46 percent received at least some current-affairs content from creators who generally cover other subjects.
This development has changed the definition of a media personality.
A television journalist can now simultaneously be a broadcaster, YouTube creator, Facebook personality, podcaster and social-media commentator. Conversely, an online creator can develop enough influence to compete for audiences and advertising attention traditionally associated with established media organizations.
The Reuters Institute also reported in 2025 that major Philippine news organizations, including GMA and ABS-CBN, had built enormous audiences on Facebook and YouTube, showing that established broadcasters can still benefit from digital distribution when they adapt successfully.
ADVERTISING IS MOVING WITH THE AUDIENCE
The transformation is also being felt in advertising.
Digital advertising in the Philippines is projected to continue expanding, with a 2026 industry forecast estimating digital ad spending at US$4.64 billion, up from an estimated US$4.26 billion in 2025. The same forecast identifies television and connected-TV/OTT video as distinct parts of the country’s evolving advertising market.
For broadcasters, this creates both an opportunity and a challenge.
A television program can potentially generate advertising value across multiple platforms, but networks must also compete with digital platforms that offer advertisers highly targeted audiences and detailed engagement data.
As a result, the traditional television business model is gradually evolving from selling television airtime alone toward selling audiences across an integrated media ecosystem.
COLLABORATION MAY BECOME MORE IMPORTANT
The Philippine television landscape is also becoming less defined by traditional network rivalries.
ABS-CBN’s recent programming arrangements illustrate this trend. In 2026, the company worked with TV5 and other platforms to distribute local entertainment programs, while also acknowledging partnerships involving GMA, YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, Prime Video and Viu.
Such arrangements reflect a practical reality: producing expensive television content requires significant investment, while distributing that content across several platforms can increase its potential audience.
Competition therefore increasingly exists alongside collaboration.
TELEVISION IS CHANGING—NOT DISAPPEARING
The current Philippine television landscape does not point to the immediate extinction of traditional broadcasting.
Instead, it points toward a hybrid future.
Linear television remains valuable because it can deliver mass audiences simultaneously, particularly for major news events and popular entertainment. At the same time, streaming offers convenience, while social media provides discovery, interaction and direct engagement with audiences.
The Reuters Institute’s 2026 global findings reinforce this broader transformation: social media and video networks surpassed television and publishers’ own websites and apps as the most widely used sources of online news across the 48 markets covered by the study.
For Philippine broadcasters, the challenge is therefore no longer simply how to keep people watching television.
It is how to remain relevant wherever Filipino audiences are spending their time.
The networks that successfully combine compelling Filipino stories with strong television programming, streaming availability, social-media engagement and sustainable digital businesses are likely to be better positioned for the next phase of the industry.
The future of Philippine television may consequently be less about choosing between the television screen and the smartphone—and more about making the same content work effectively across both.