SKY CABLE TO FACE NTC INQUIRY AFTER GMA-7 COMPLAINT!

MANILA - The cable unit of ABS-CBN Corp on Wednesday said it submitted a technical report to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) detailing the channel reassignment of rival GMA Network Inc's flagship free-to-air TV service.

"We acknowledge GMA's filing of complaint versus Sky with the NTC.  We believe that this is the proper venue to express their stand on the matter," SkyCable said in a statement sent to Interaksyon.com

"SkyCable has submitted its technical report and the proper advisory to the Commission on February 4 and we look forward to the undertak[ing] by both parties under the guidelines of the NTC," the company added.

GMA Network Tuesday filed a complaint before the NTC against SkyCable because of the channel reassignment.

SkyCable has transferred GMA7, which used to air on Channel 12, to a different channel assignment. Thus, SkyCable subscribers wanting to watch GMA7 would have to flip to Channel 99.

Besides GMA7, the channel reassignment also affected Shop TV, Sky Preview Channel and ABN.

SkyCable said it temporarily placed GMA7 on Channel 99 so its cable TV subscribers can continue watching their favorite programs on this channel.

This is the third time in the last decade that GMA Network complained of SkyCable's channel reassignments.

In 2003, the NTC ordered SkyCable to return GMA7 to Channel 12 after the cable TV operator moved the broadcast of its parent firm's rival to Channel 14.

In September last year, SkyCable transferred GMA7 from Channel 12 to Channel 85, as the cable TV operator complained of intermittent signal freezing.

In an email to InterAksyon.com, GMA Network consultant for corporate communications Butch S. Raquel said the network is concerned about "why it gets to be affected by whatever SkyCable is doing or modifying in its system."

"The network believes that it should be the responsibility of SkyCable to make certain that any changes it implements in the system does not in any way affect the channels for the sake of the viewing public and paying subscribers," said Raquel, referring to SkyCable's subscribers.

SkyCable however said the channel reassignment is meant to transfer affected channels to "better streams."

SkyCable has more than 500,000 subscribers in Metro Manila. Last year, the company acquired rival Destiny Cable, which has 200,000 subscribers.

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, a sister company of Cignal TV.

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