ABS-CBN, well-known for its top-rating shows on television and box-office hits, recently showcased its growing online reach and digital presence in a star-studded digital trade event at the Makati Diamond Residences.
For the first time, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company held an event that focused on its growing list of digital platforms and services, showing how it is rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company.
ABS-CBN chief digital officer Donald Lim shared how the company used to be known as “the largest TV network” now also has the top media website in the Philippines (www.abs-cbn.com) with average monthly page views of 248 million, the country’s number one Youtube channel (ABS-CBN Entertainment) with more than 4 billion views and almost 4 million subscribers, while the social media accounts of its programs and its stars also have huge following. The Facebook page of ABS-CBN, for instance, just went beyond 13 million likes, with ABS-CBN News not far behind with over 11 million likes.
Moreover, ABS-CBN has also successfully developed its own digital platforms and services, which were presented in the event with the help of Kapamilya digital stars.
Online sensations and Chicken Pork Adobo creators Lloyd Café Cadena Cadena and Camille Buhain and Faye Condez of The Soshal Network (TSN) shared how authenticity plays a big role in making their Facebook/blog posts and videos go viral. The three join over 300 “Adobers” under CPA, ABS-CBN’s multi-channel network on Youtube that was established last year to support existing and aspiring Filipino digital stars.
CPA features a variety of content – from fashion, to fitness tips, parodies, cover songs, and showbiz news. Other notable Kapamilya digital stars under CPA are Instagram star Bretman Rock and the girls of Kids’ Toys, which currently joins ABS-CBN Entertainment and ABS-CBN News in the Top 3 Youtube channels in the Philippines.
TV stars Jake Cuenca and Sue Ramirez, on the other hand, spoke about being responsible online influencers, as TV stars with wide social media following. They revealed that maintaining a clean reputation online has not only gained them more fans but also opened an opportunity for them to support brands beyond the usual TV commercials. Helping them in this endeavor is Stellar, which matches advertisers to the artist that can best endorse their products or services based on the artists’ activity and following on social media, among other factors.
Another ABS-CBN online initiative is OneMusicPH, a music hub that offers Filipinos the total music experience with audio and video streaming, music news, and exclusive digital concerts featuring the brightest Filipino talents. It also allows aspiring musicians a crack at stardom by allowing them to upload their work on the website. Some of the artists that can be found in OneMusicPh are Klarisse De Guzman, Jason Dy, and Kristel Fulgar, who provided entertainment in the digital trade event.
ABS-CBN’s digital shift is also evident in its pioneering video-on-demand website iWant TV, which was first to address Filipinos’ growing habit of watching shows and other content on the internet and on mobile phones. In the presentation of Anna Rodriguez-Dela Cruz, ABS-CBN head for content on mobile and OTT, she said people now spend an average time of three hours and more on the internet using their phones and more than five hours using their computers, most of the time to view videos.
She added change is coming to the Philippines’ first and biggest video-on-demand platform for local content, which will soon offer spin-offs of TV programs apart from other content, which can only be viewed through the iWant TV site and mobile app. “We have to create and curate content strictly for digital with the involvement of the viewers,” Dela Cruz said.
With both a vast online reach and an array of digital platforms, Lim said the network can now offer more opportunities for advertisers and businesses to engage their target markets. He then introduced the “Digital Marketing Periodic Table of Elements,” a list of digital solutions that can help advertisers create powerful campaigns on digital.
The attendees, who represented the country’s top advertising and media buying agencies, were excited about the opportunities on digital that Lim presented.
“What makes this event standout is the fact that they were able to infuse/inject the idea of science, moreover, of chemistry – how different elements can make the most successful campaigns. What I loved the most is idea of digital periodic table of elements and how each one is categorized. It could be really useful,” said Jaja Bandoja, Digital Planner/Buyer of ZenithOptimedia Philippines.
With the success of its first digital trade event, which was hosted by TJ Manotoc and Xian Lim, ABS-CBN is closer to its goal of being the nation’s digital media leader. It is also leading the country in the nation’s shift to digital television through ABS-CBN TVplus. Driven by its mission and vision to be in the service of the Filipino worldwide, the company can be expected to be in the forefront of using the latest in technology and innovation to deliver inspiring stories and relevant information to Filipinos anywhere they are, and even to foreign audiences.
