Home Cable

Home Cable was a cable television service in the Philippines. It covered the areas in Metro Manila from the mid-1990s until its closure in June 30, 2005 when it was folded into Sky Cable's operations.

Home Cable
TypePrivate (brand)
IndustryTelecommunications
FateMerged its operations into Sky Cable
PredecessorSining Makulay Inc.
Founded1978 as Sining Makulay Inc.
1990s as Home Cable
DefunctJune 30, 2005
HeadquartersPhilippines
Area served
Metro Manila
ServicesCable television
OwnerSky Cable Corporation
ParentBeyond Cable Holdings

Beyond Cable Holdings, a 50-50 joint venture firm owned by the Benpres Holdings (now Lopez Holdings Corporation) and PLDT-backed media firm MediaQuest Holdings, was the parent company of Home Cable.

History

As Sining Makulay Inc.

The origins of Home Cable can be traced its origins to Sining Makulay, Inc. (SMI), the first commercial cable company in the Philippines which granted an executive franchise in 1978 (under Presidential Decree No. 1512), and began its operations in 1979. SMI was owned by Roberto Benedicto, a businessman and one of political cronies of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.[1][2] Back then, it used to be carrying clear-quality channels to residents living in exclusive villages and hotels in Metro Manila in its early years, and had operated two cable channels, the first ever to be operated by Filipinos, with the second channel targeted to the Filipino Chinese with Mandarin and Cantonese language programming.

In 1987, when President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 50 which ended the national monopoly of SMI, the company ceased operations.[3] In the 1990s, SMI was eventually bought by Unilink Communications Corporation.[4]

As Home Cable, merger with Sky and closure

After the acquisition by Unilink Communications Corporation, SMI resumed its cable operations as Home Cable, competing with rival Sky Cable. MediaQuest Holdings, a newly established media investment firm of PLDT, acquired Home Cable in 1999.[4]

On July 1, 2001, Sky Cable owner Benpres Holdings and MediaQuest entered into a master consolidation agreement to form the holding company Beyond Cable, Inc. with an enterprise value of P14.5 billion to manage both operations of Sky Cable and Home Cable.[5]

On June 30, 2005, Home Cable ceased its operations.

References
  1. Avecilla, Victor (16 August 2014). "Sky Cable's deteriorating services". Manila Standard.
  2. "PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1512". Chan Robles.
  3. Palabrica, Raul (8 September 2014). "Commercials on cable TV". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  4. "Cable TV guy's police connection". ABS-CBN News. 13 March 2008.
  5. "Home, SkyCable merge". The Philippine Star. 4 April 2001.
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