(also known as 5, formerly known as ABC (or ABC-5) and briefly known as The 5 Network) is a Philippine free-to-air television network based in Mandaluyong, with its alternate studios located in Novaliches, Quezon City. It is the flagship property of TV5 Network, Inc. with Cignal TV as its main content provider, both owned by MediaQuest Holdings, the multimedia arm of Philippine-based telecommunications company PLDT. TV5 is also formally referred to as "The Kapatid Network", the Filipino term for "sibling", which was introduced in 2010.Named after its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWET-TV, which are carried on VHF Channel 5 (analog broadcast) and UHF Channel 51 (digital test broadcast; the latter is licensed to TV5's sister company Mediascape/Cignal TV), TV5 is also broadcasting to seven other owned-and-operated stations and seven affiliate television stations nationwide. Its programming is also available outside the Philippines through Kapatid Channel and Aksyon TV International.
The station was launched in February 1992 as the Associated Broadcasting Company with Edward Tan and Edgardo Roces as the first owners. In June 2003, The Tan-Roces joint consortium sold the ABC TV and radio stations to the group led by businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" O. Cojuangco, Jr. former Chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and owner of Dream Satellite TV and Bank of Commerce, among other assets. The new management introduced many changes including a stronger news and public affairs division, modernization of its broadcast equipment, and the acquisition of broadcast rights of Philippine Basketball Association games. Additionally, the network also launched a new advertising campaign and slogan, "Iba Tayo!" ("We're Different!"), which emphasized the new lineup as being more distinct and new than what was being aired by its competitors (ABS-CBN and GMA Network) at the time, targeting the burgeoning middle- to upper-class youth market. At the time Cojuangco bought the network, this was the peak of the network wars and his calling was to provide a programming line-up which seems different and refreshing from the same old fare the two giants had.
In March 2008, Cojuangco announced that ABC had reached a partnership with MPB Primedia Inc., a local company backed by Media Prima Berhad of Malaysia as part of a long-term strategy to make the network more competitive. MPB Primedia, meanwhile, was formed to serve as seed asset for Media Prima's proposed private equity fund to invest in various media companies within Southeast Asia. At that time, ABC was still reeling from declining viewership and Network Decay.
ABC signed off for the last time at around 22:00 PHT on 8 August 2008 with its late night newscast Sentro as the last program on air, and then aired a countdown to its re-launch for much of the next day until 19:00 PHT, when the network officially re-launched under its new name of TV5. Its programming lineup aims towards "progressive Pinoys including those young at heart" (market classes C and D), and unveiled its newly upgraded 120-kilowatt state-of-the-art stereo TV transmitter. Shall We Dance, some shows in Nick on TV5, Kerygma TV, Light Talk, and Sunday TV Mass were the only ABC programs that were carried over to the line-up of TV5.
In December 2008, a lawsuit was filed by GMA Network, Citynet Television and ZOE Broadcasting Network against ABC, MPB, and MPB Primedia, alleging that TV5's lease of airtime to Media Prima was intended to circumvent regulations restricting foreign ownership of broadcasting companies. In response, ABC's media relations head Pat Marcelo-Magbanua reiterated that the network was a Filipino company that was self-registered and Filipino-run.
Despite the lawsuit, the network's ratings were revitalized by the new management, as its audience share increased from 1.9% in July 2008 (prior to the re-branding) to 11.1% in September 2009.
On 20 October 2009, Media Prima announced that it would be divesting its share in MPB Primedia, along with its affiliate ABC TV stations, and selling it to PLDT's media division, MediaQuest Holdings, as it contributes to the company's losses during the year. The acquisition was officially announced by Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan on 2 March 2010, along with the announcement of a new lineup of programming to debut on the network, along with a new campaign branding itself as the "Kapatid" ("sibling") network, giving them the chance to finally compete with the two giants. 3 years later, they moved their studios and offices to the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong, making it almost headquartered in the Ortigas Center.
In late 2015, the entertainment division was dissolved by the management as the programs produced under that division suffered from declining production values and ratings failures. They started a partnership with Viva Entertainment for their local entertainment productions. In 2017, it was temporarily repackaged as a male-oriented news and sports channel (with it's sports block being branded as "ESPN5" after TV5 inked a deal with the US-based ESPN), but the indefinite shutdown of ABS-CBN in May 2020 forced them to return as a general entertainment channel.
In 2018, the channel was relaunched as The 5 Network coinciding with the launch of the Get It On 5 slogan. However the channel reverted back to TV5 since August 15, 2020 following with the return of locally-produced entertainment programs. The channel was supposedly rebranded to "One TV" on April 13, 2020, and later on July 20, 2020. But due to the confusion of viewers and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the planned rebranding were cancelled - the station reverted back to TV5 instead.
On May 20, 2021, TV5 launched its new slogan Iba sa 5 (It's different on 5) with a new station jingle composed by Jeff Arcilla, and new station ID. On July 1, 2022, TV5 launched a new slogan Iba'ng Saya pag Sama-Sama (The Fun is One of a Kind When We're Together) with a new station jingle and new station ID, featuring the network's own stars.
Selected TV series produced, distributed, and aired by TV5:
- Aksyon
- Aksyon sa Tanghali
- Aksyon sa Umaga
- Aksyon Tonite
- Alagang Kapatid
- Babaeng Hampaslupa
- Bagets: Just Got Lucky, a TV remake of the 1984 film of the same title
- Bawal Na Game Show
- Club TV
- Di Na Muli
- Dokyu
- Easy Money: Ang Cash ng Bayan
- Eat Bulaga! (since 2024; previously aired on RPN-9, ABS-CBN, and GMA Network)
- Emojination
- Face to Face (revived in 2023 as Face 2 Face)
- Fill in the Bank
- Frontline Pilipinas
- Frontline sa Umaga
- Frontline Tonight
- Güd Morning Kapatid
- Ispup
- John En Ellen
- Juicy!
- Lokomoko
- LolaBasyang.Com
- Mga Nagbabagang Bulaklak
- Midnight DJ
- Mysmatch
- Nina Nino
- Pinoy Explorer
- P.O.5
- Po Pinoy
- Positive
- Real Confessions
- Sapul sa Singko
- Sentro
- Shall We Dance?
- Sing Galing!
- Talentadong Pinoy
- Tropang Trumpo
- Wattpad Presents
- Wow Mali!
