To make Fil-Canadians feel the Christmas spirit in the air and “on the air”, The Filipino Channel (TFC) of ABS-CBN Global recently unveiled its Christmas station ID featuring Willie Revillame, one of the top believers of the channel and the host of the most watched noontime show, Wowowee. Willie is very apt for the station’s Christmas ID as Wowowee also happens to be a must-see live show for balikbayans especially during the holiday season. Throughout the month and beyond, TFC viewers will see images of Filipinos from different countries longing to spend Paskong Pinoy with their loved ones in the Philippines. To respond to their yearning, the Integrated Creative Communications team of ABSCBN Global headed by Elizabeth Siojo pulled together the directorial expertise of Randy Santiago and the natural candor of Willie to come up with a touching network ID to convey the message that “although our kababayans may be far away from home, they have a true Kapamilya in TFC who will be with them during the season, bringing warmth and joy and the sense of family when it matters most.”
Completing the poignant channel ID, several testimonials of top ABS-CBN talents expressing their candid thoughts and personal Pasko wishes to loyal viewers were also aired during its launch. Those who have not seen Sharon Cuneta and KC Concepcion, Edu and Luis Manzano, Aga Muhlach, Maricel Sorianno, John Lloyd Cruz, Kris Aquino and other Kapamilyas talk about Paskong Pinoy can still catch their favorite celebrities on air until January.
TFC has been entertaining and informing overseas Filipinos since 1994. For almost fifteen years, it has endeavored to reach out to its viewers all over the world in more ways than one. In Canada, TFC is made available via the worldwide web and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). Committed to serve more and more Filipinos in the country, ABS-CBN utilized the worldwide web to offer TFC shows and movies online through TFCNow. An audio and video streaming inter-net subscription service, TFCNow allows one to access his or her favorite shows with just one click of the mouse. Moving further, it took advantage of the latest technology to offer more channels and unique features when it service known as TFCko. This IPTV service gives the viewer control over what he wants to watch with its capacity to fast-forward, pause or rewind any program.
According to ABS-CBN Canada Country Manager, Marco Amoranto, “We consciously look after the needs of our customers. With TFCko and TFCNow, we go beyond traditional television to suit their lifestyle. This is our gift to the people that we serve, not just for Christmas but for many years to come.”
Christmas in the Philippines can be described as incomparable not only because of the endless festivities and sumptuous food but more because of the fond memories shared with family and friends that a person who has chosen to live abroad hardly ever gets the chance to relive. With TFC creating an imagined community, Filipinos worldwide are able to celebrate happy occasions together no matter how miles apart they are.