On October 30, 2026, ALLTV2, one of the affiliates of ABS-CBN that carries its programming to viewers on Analog RF channel 2 in Metro Manila, switched its broadcasts to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), broadcasting on RF channel 16 using the country’s DTT broadcast standard, Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting – Terrestrial (ISDB-T), marking the end of the analog broadcasting era after 73 years of broadcasting since the launch of DZAQ-TV Channel 3 in 1953.
The switch-off date for the television station in Metro Manila, with the call sign DZMV-TV, under the ownership of Advanced Media Broadcasting Services, Inc. (AMBS), was previously announced back in September 2026, informing viewers that ALLTV2 will end its analog broadcasts on October 30, 2026, at least a month before the planned switch-off in November 2026.
However, as for the other television stations in Metro Manila, other than ALLTV2, broadcasters aired their reminders regarding the analog switch-off in areas of Metro Manila (including Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela), Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and portions of Pampanga, Bataan, and Laguna, informing viewers in these locations to switch to DTT on or before November 2026.
Analog viewers elsewhere in Metro Manila and nearby provinces who receive television broadcasts from Metro Manila, including anyone who has a cable or satellite connection, or watches online (i.e., live streaming via YouTube or broadcasters’ streaming applications), are not affected; viewers still watching on analog are still encouraged to switch to digital even if they are not in Metro Manila to provide the benefits of viewing digital terrestrial broadcasts.
To switch to digital, viewers with a television set that receives only analog broadcasts may purchase a Digital Set-Top Box and connect it using either the Audio/Video cable (also known as the “RCA” connector) or an HDMI cable, if their TV set supports HDMI, together with their existing UHF antenna by screwing the coaxial cable at the back of the set-top box.
Your purchase of a digital set-top box comes with an antenna, but to provide a stronger signal in your area, you may adjust the antenna high up and away from electronic devices, or consider purchasing an outdoor UHF-capable antenna that can receive any digital broadcast signal, as the ISDB-T broadcasts on DTT use digital channels 14 to 51 (479.143 MHz to 695.143 MHz) rather than VHF (channels 2 to 13), which most analog broadcasters do since the launch of Philippine Television in 1953. Ask an expert if you need further help installing an antenna to receive digital broadcasts.
Viewers who have a digital-ready television set (TV sets that have an ISDB-T digital tuner built-in) may need to rescan to pick up all available digital signals in their area. They can also subscribe to a pay TV service (i.e., Cignal, SatLite, GSat, Sky Direct, Cablelink, Sky TruFiber/Converge FiberX with Sky TV, or PLDT Home Fiber with Cignal).
In Southeast Asia, apart from the Philippines beginning in Metro Manila in November 2026 and other parts of the country (phased switch-off) in the future, analog broadcasting in Brunei switched its transmitters on December 31, 2017, followed by Singapore on January 2, 2019 (Mediacorp), Malaysia on October 31, 2019 (RTM and Media Prima), Thailand on March 25, 2020 (Channel 3 Thailand), Vietnam on December 28, 2020, and Indonesia on August 1, 2023 (MNC Media, comprising of RCTI, MNCTV, GTV, and iNews).
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© 2026 DRPS Philippine Commercial Archives (DRPS PHCA). All rights reserved. PHCA CID: PHCA-2026H2-7019/October 31, 2026.
