False claims are once again spreading on social media, alleging that ABS-CBN will soon return to free television with a renewed franchise. The reports are fake news.
According to a June 2025 statement from ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak, the network has no plans of returning to free TV. Even if Congress were to grant a new franchise, he said, ABS-CBN could not rebuild its former nationwide broadcast network since all its frequencies have already been reassigned to other broadcasters.
“At this time, even if the franchise were granted by Congress to ABS, we would not be able to rebuild our former national network because all the frequencies we used to transmit have already been granted to other broadcasters,” Katigbak explained.
Instead, ABS-CBN has fully embraced its role as a content provider, partnering with different platforms and broadcasters to reach audiences.
“We have embraced our partnership model and feel that it has been good for us as well as for our partners,” Katigbak added.
This model has allowed Kapamilya programs such as ‘It’s Showtime’, ‘FPJ’s Batang Quiapo’, ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’, and ‘Sins of the Father’ to continue entertaining viewers through Kapamilya Online Live, iWant, partner networks, and streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Viu.
The ABS-CBN shutdown happened on May 5, 2020, after the National Telecommunications Commission ordered the network off the air when its 25-year franchise expired. In July 2020, the House of Representatives voted to deny its renewal. Since then, the network has shifted its focus to digital content, partnerships, and international distribution.
A viral Facebook post on Sept. 1, 2025, claiming that ABS-CBN had “recovered” its free TV status, garnered nearly 20,000 reactions and thousands of comments and shares. The post falsely claimed that ABS-CBN executives had announced a free TV comeback in a press conference.
These recycled false claims resurface periodically. ABS-CBN itself has clarified multiple times — including statements to the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2024 and 2025 — that it has not applied for a new franchise and has no plans to buy back frequencies it once owned.
For now, Kapamilya shows remain accessible through digital and partner platforms, keeping the network alive in new ways despite the loss of its franchise.
