What's next for ABS-CBN and TV5 after their potential fallout?

Is it truly the end of the collaboration era between the Kapamilya and Kapatid networks?

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

Or is there still a chance that the bosses behind the stations in Mother Ignacia and Mandaluyong could work things out?It’s been the talk of the town that ABS-CBN programming may no longer air on TV5 after the Kapatid network sent a termination letter for their agreed five-year content deal in 2023 — a move confirmed by both networks through separate press releases.

In its statement, TV5 said that while it understands ABS-CBN’s financial difficulties following the loss of its free TV franchise in 2020, unpaid fees owed to TV5 have made it difficult for the network to meet its own financial obligations.

On the Kapamilya side, ABS-CBN said it is working to settle its obligations with its Kapatid partner while denying claims that it deliberately delayed payments reportedly amounting to nearly P1 billion — a figure the network also disputed in its statement.

The reported end date of the Kapamilya-Kapatid primetime simulcast is January 2, 2026, although neither network has officially confirmed it.

Insiders say negotiations are ongoing to resolve the networks’ issues, but the chances of reaching an agreement appear slim.

TV5 and ABS-CBN first partnered in 2021, with the Kapamilya network providing select programming to the Kapatid network, expanding ABS-CBN’s reach after it lost its Channel 2 frequency.