MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pangilinan has promoted officials to lead his media empire.

Guido Zaballero was appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) of TV5 effective February 1. He assumes the post following the retirement of Robert Galang, who headed Cignal TV, the conglomerate’s satellite provider, and TV5 since 2020.

“I look forward to this new challenge, and I am grateful for this opportunity to serve. Marami kaming bagong pakulo dito sa Singko. Siguradong matutuwa lahat ng mga kapatid natin,” Zaballero said. (We have a lot in store for our viewers and they will surely like what we have planned.)

Zaballero joined the Mediaquest Group as Cignal TV’s vice president and head of marketing in 2013. Over the past decade, he established Cignal TV’s present market leadership, growing its subscriber base from 500,000 to 4.3 million.

Meanwhile, Jane Basas was appointed president and CEO of Cignal TV, concurrently with her role as president and CEO of Mediaquest, the holding company of TV5 and Cignal TV.

Basas has long been with Pangilinan’s conglomerate and once headed Smart’s prepaid marketing group. She has also been with the group’s media business since 2014.

The climb toward profits

Zaballero and Basas assume top positions as Pangilinan’s TV venture continues to push for profitability.

Pangilinan’s TV5 has been in the red since its acquisition by the tycoon in 2010 from businessman Antonio Cojuangco.

In a Philippine Star report in 2021, Pangilinan said that “it is doing well” and may take profits by 2024. 

Pangilinan has also noted that the network has been slowly erasing losses from previous years.

TV5 ratings have inched up with the help of ABS-CBN content. The network has been attempting to knock off some audience share from GMA 7, the current leader in TV ratings, according to Kantar and AGB Nielsen.

Meanwhile, Cignal is the Philippines’ top pay TV provider with 4.3 million subscribers.

Basas, alongside other top TV5 executives, earlier pushed for a landmark deal with ABS-CBN, where ABS-CBN was supposed to get 34.9% of TV5 for P2.16 billion and Cignal owning 38.8% of Sky Cable. Both parties walked away amid pressure from politicians and state regulators. – Rappler.com