TV host Willie Revillame confirmed that his new game show ‘Wilyonaryo’ will premiere online on January 25 through its official website, wilyonaryo(dot)com, and not on TV5 as earlier announced.
Revillame made the clarification during a solo press conference held Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at a Quezon City hotel, explaining that changes in TV5’s leadership affected the program’s planned free TV run.
“Alam niyo naman nangyari sa TV5, change of leadership, di ba?” Revillame said. “So, ang kausap ko talaga doon si Ms. Jane Basas. So medyo… ayoko sanang banggitin ’to, pero wala na siya sa ngayon. So, sigurado yung contract nun, e, medyo aaralin muna nila.”
Jane Basas previously served as president and chief executive officer of MediaQuest, the parent company of TV5, before stepping down earlier this month.
Despite the setback, Revillame said discussions are still ongoing for ‘Wilyonaryo’ to air on free TV, particularly through Channel 10 of Cignal TV.
“Pero hopefully, yung Channel 10 ng Cignal, e, kung maaayos namin ang pag-uusapan ang contract, baka yun matuloy if ever na okay sa kanila,” he said.
Revillame explained that one of the main challenges to airing the show on free TV is its gaming component, which involves the purchase of raffle tickets.
“Hindi ko itini-take na personal. Naiintindihan ko ’yun. Kasi mahirap talaga yung live streaming ka sa free TV kasi may gaming, e,” he said. “Nung nalaman nila na mayroong bibili ng ticket at may gaming, siyempre you have to understand may MTRCB. Baka ma-bash sila, ‘Bakit mo pinapayagan yan?’ Baka feeling nila na, ‘Sugal na ’to.’”
Revillame stressed that ‘Wilyonaryo’ is a raffle-based game and is fully licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“For me, hindi. It’s a raffle game. Ang feeling ko dito, mas maraming mananalo, mas maraming matutulungan din,” he said.
Under the show’s main game segment called ‘Wilpick,’ participants can register and buy raffle tickets online for PHP20 each via wilyonaryo(dot)com. Each episode will feature three raffle draws, with a chance to win a PHP1 million grand prize by matching four letters and one color selected through an electronic randomizer.
“Sa PHP60 na bibilin mo, puwede kang maging milyonaryo,” Revillame said. “Kasi hindi ka naman nagsusugal 24 oras, e. It’s a raffle game. May Christmas party, raffle. Di ba?”
Revillame added that while most participants will be online viewers, additional segments are being prepared for the studio audience. The show will be produced at WilTower in Quezon City.
During the press conference, Revillame also became emotional as he reflected on his career and his motivation for returning to daily hosting.
“Whoever I am today and whatever I’ve achieved is because of the people,” he said. “That’s why I’m doing this. I want to help, because so many Filipinos are struggling right now.”
He reiterated that he has never deceived the public.
“Hindi ko kailanman niloko ang Pilipino,” Revillame said. “That’s why, for many years, I was the number two taxpayer in the country when I still had my TV shows. I do things the right way.”
Revillame, who lost his senatorial bid in the last national elections, said the experience strengthened his belief that public service does not require holding office.
“I can help people better outside government,” he said. “And I’ll keep doing that through this show.”
‘Wilyonaryo’ marks Revillame’s return following a career that includes long-running programs such as ‘Wowowee’, ‘Willing Willie’, and ‘Wowowin’ across multiple television networks.
