Manny Villar now owns ABS-CBN’s old channel 2 frequency

Don’t be surprised if you find your television’s channel 2 broadcasting again – but with a different station name.

A company owned by Manny Villar has acquired two broadcast frequencies formerly held by ABS-CBN Corp., whose broadcast franchise renewal was rejected by a congressional committee in 2020.

A formal order from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) dated 6 January signed by NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBC) will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Villar’s Starmall building in Mandaluyong City, with a permit for test broadcast.

“After the technical evaluation of AMBS request for a simulcast channel, Channel 2 (the paired analog channel in Mega Manila of digital channel 16) was temporarily assigned to AMBS,” the NTC order said. “This temporary assignment is for simulcast purposes only, and only until the analog shut-off scheduled in 2023.”