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Milestones of SKY Cable

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SkycableSkycableSKY Cable Corporation started as an idea between ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III and Freddie M. Garcia, then president of ABS-CBN, in the late 1980s.
On June 6, 1990, the Philippines has its first commercial cable firm in Central CATV Inc.; this is followed by the incorporation of Benpres Building-based SKY Vision Corporation and the first public viewing in Urdaneta Village in 1991.

Less a month later, SKY telecasts the Super Bowl at Manila Peninsula in Makati, marking its first commercial operation.
SKY ties up with ABS-CBN for the first time for the airing of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

By mid-1993, it beefs up its channel lineup—ESPN, NBC, CNN, Star Channel—with the addition of HBO and other channels, Star TV and Star Sports, as well as original local offerings such as Karaoke Channel, Aquarium Channel, Airport Channel, Community Channel, SKY Mall, SKY News and Sarimanok Channel.

In 1994, the SKY channel lineup increases to 54 channels. The company also starts to venture outside Metro Manila, with the first regional setup in Cebu netting a total of P1.2 million in reservations.

By the fifth year, SKY develops its own lineup of channels which it later on sold to other cable operators. Called The Power Bundle, it was made up of Pinoy Blockbuster Movies (a Tagalog movie channel now known as Cinema One), Sarimanok News (news channel now known as ANC), Vid-Ok which eventually became MYX, and Sky 1 (English movie channel).

In 1997, SKYcable enters into a 55%/45% joint venture agreement with the Lorenzo family, the operator of Sun Cable, to form Pilipino Cable Corporation (PCC). PCC operates in the regional areas of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. SKY acquires the Lorenzo family's 45% share and fully owns PCC in 2008.

The year 1999 sees SKY in expansion mode, mostly in South Luzon and reaching as far as Zamboanga in Mindanao. It is also during this year that convergence initiatives are jump-started—BayanTel for telco services, SKY Cable for cable and SKY Internet for dial-up Internet. SKYCable installation team circa 2009SKYCable installation team circa 2009

SKY marks Year 15 with the launch of a prepaid service in Cebu and Camanava. In 2006, it goes full blast with the innovation via SKYcable Silver Prepaid, which becomes the country's first prepaid cable TV service. Later that year, SKY moves next door to its new home in Tektite Towers.

In 2007, SKY acquires the 49% stake of the Lorenzo family, thereby owning 100% of PCC.

Over the next couple of years, the company unveils a flurry of new products and services: aconcierge program under customer services in 2007; SKYbroadband and SKYvoice in 2008; SKYcable DigiBox and SKYcable HD in 2009; iWantv! in 2010; and iRECORD, and the further expansion of its fastest broadband services in the residential market in 2011.

In 2012, SKY purchases the assets of Destiny Cable Inc., Solid Broadband Corporation and Uni-Cable TV Inc. It also expands its digital cable TV services, including HD, to Baguio, Iloilo and Bacolod.

The year 2013 sees the launch of the SKYcable Dual Def package that combines standard-definition (SD) and HD channels at affordable price points; and the introduction of digital cable TV to Destiny Cable. At the same time, SKY rolls out more SD and HD channels to strengthen its position as the pay TV operator with the most number of channels and widest variety in programming.

On its 25th year, SKY surpasses 100,000 broadband subscribers. A month after moving to its new headquarters in ABS-CBN, the company kicks off its anniversary celebration through a general assembly at Elements in Eton Centris with live feeds to all SKY systems in the regional areas. It also introduces its new corporate tag line, "Me and My SKY."

SKYCable installation team circa 2009-1SKYCable installation team circa 2009

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