TV5 to host ‘Pacquiao vs Barrios’ fight on Free TV

coming to your television screens

Filipino boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is lacing up his gloves once again for another shot at WBC world welterweight glory – and TV5 and RPTV are in Pacquiao’s corner as they bring every round of this epic title clash to every home via free TV!

The only boxer in history to win world titles in eight weight divisions, Pacquiao will square off with WBC World Welterweight Champion Mario “Aztec Warrior” Barrios on July 20, 2025, PHT (July 19 PST) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

After a four-year break from the pro boxing scene and his last bout against Yordenis Ugás in 2021, the Philippines' boxing pride returns to the ring to prove that he still has the fire and power to dominate the fight – this time against Father Time and against all odds. With 62 wins (39 by knockout), Pacquiao’s legacy as the only boxer in history to claim world titles in eight weight divisions is already etched in stone – but the Pac-Man isn’t done making history just yet.

“This is more than a fight – it’s a national moment,” said TV5 President and CEO Guido R. Zaballero. “We are honored to bring this historic event to every Filipino home for free because Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring is more than just a comeback – it’s a reminder of the heart, grit, and fighting spirit that we all have as Filipinos.”

Catch this historic Pacquiao vs Barrios world title showdown on July 20 for FREE on RPTV and One Sports at 10:00 AM and on TV5 at 2:15 PM. 

This landmark broadcast underscores the network’s commitment to bringing world-class sports entertainment to every home. As Manny Pacquiao returns to the global arena, Filipinos can once again rally behind the nation’s boxing champion as he battles for another world title and cements his legacy as one of the world’s greatest fighters in boxing history. 

Sama-sama sa Laban ni Pacman! The Pacquiao vs. Barrios fight will also air in high definition on One Sports+ via Cignal TV (Channel 91 SD, Channel 261 HD) for a premium viewing experience.

RPTV set to retain PBA coverage

RPTV

The PBA has a new home, sort of.

With TV5 taking over what used to be CNN Philippines, the media entity has now rebranded the channel into RPTV, the newest free-to-air offering sports, news, and entertainment designed to entertain all members of the Filipino family.

And one of the offerings RPTV will have in place is the oldest professional league in Asia.

As the new free-to-air home of the PBA, basketball fans will be able to watch the league's catalog LIVE, including PBA 3x3 and the upcoming PBA D-League.

Aside from the PBA, it is expected that the channel will show PVL matches and Gilas Pilipinas games.

With regards to entertainment offerings, viewers will continue to enjoy the top-rating daily noontime show EAT... Bulaga, with a variety of local content and movies being showing throughout the day.

Those who want to get their news in the morning will be able to partake of Ted Failon and DJ Chacha's program, and the highly popular Wanted Sa Radyo of Senator Raffy Tulfo will also be on simulcast.

In revealing the lineup, TV5 President and CEO Guido R. Zaballero shares, "The birth of RPTV is aligned with our commitment to elevate the standards of entertainment, sports and public service broadcasting in the Philippines."

RPTV is available on Channel 9 (analog), Channel 19 and Channel 18.3 (DTT), and with over three hundred cable and satellite providers. In addition, it is also part of the catalog of channels available through Cignal Play.

Cignal TV, TV5, Smart & PLDT affirm commitment to Tokyo 2020 broadcast coverage

Tokyo 2020, via Cignal TV

Filipino fans can once again be very much excited for the Olympics, as the 2020 edition in Tokyo slated from July 23 to August 8 will be shown locally through the efforts of the MVP Group of companies, namely Cignal TV, TV5, PLDT, and SMART Communications.

Cignal TV and TV5 President & CEO Robert P. Galang shares, "The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 symbolize the highest level of athletic excellence and stands as a beacon of hope for Filipino athletes and sports spectators, both here and abroad. In our commitment to providing the best sports content to our viewers, we will ensure extensive coverage and daily access to the Games across our free-to-air, pay TV, and OTT platforms, and through our partnership with Smart and PLDT."

Sports fans in the country will have comprehensive end-to-end access to the XXXII Olympiad, whether through its free-to-air channels TV5 and One Sports, to its cable channel One Sports+ on Cignal TV. Cignal TV will also allot a couple of exclusive channels for 24/7 broadcast of the Games, whilst Cignal Play will be offering exclusive channels that would provide live updates for subscribers. The app will also provide exclusive content not available on the TV broadcast. As for One News, it will serve as group's news hub, leading the way with round-the-clock news coverage, whether highlights, results, and other updates.

For its part, SMART will funnel its complete Olympic coverage onto gigafest.smart, becoming its latest flavor for its variety of content, which will also have its own exclusive content aside from being a complement to the terrestrial broadcast. As for PLDT, ten channels will be made available for select PLDT Triple Play subscribers.

PLDT and SMART President & CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio shared his thoughts about their conglomerate's undertaking, "It is our great pride to provide our subscribers access to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for them to enjoy this global sporting spectacle. We are also honored to be able to show support to Filipino athletes as they embark on their journey to make our country proud and showcase their skills through sports and athletics."

Galang also reaffirmed the MVP Group's commitment to sports. "Our coverage of international sporting events will not end with the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Our viewers and subscribers can rest assured that we will continue to source and provide them the best quality sports content which they can enjoy on multiple platforms."

Ulimate Boxing Series set for June 23 premiere

Outgoing TV5 head Chot Reyes with Gerry Penalosa

The much-anticipated sports reality series finally has a premiere date.

ESPN5 Boxing, in collaboration with Gerrypens Promotions, will premier its touted boxing tournament training program, Ultimate Boxing Series: Kamaong Pinoy, on June 23, 2019, and will be seen Sundays at noon on TV5.

Twenty professional prospects from a variety of Filipino boxing stables throughout the country will have the chance to train in one roof, under the auspices of former two-time champion and boxing legend Gerry ‘Fearless’ Peñalosa. Ten are from the bantamweight division, with the other ten being from the flyweight division.

The fights will take place at the boxing facility TV5 has carved out of its Novaliches complex. ESPN5 Boxing earlier this month had hosted a fight card there in collaboration with Sanman Promotions.

The lucky finalists in both divisions will be featured as co-main events for the upcoming title fight between Carlo Penalosa and Maximino Flores for the vacant IBO flyweight championship in a couple of months.

Aside from the fights, UBS: KP will also provide a behind-the-scenes look in their respective training and conditioning, as well as shed light on what their motivations are for lacing up their gloves, whether personal or professional. As such, it is a way for the show to illustrate who they are and why they do this.

Peñalosa shares, "Ang Kamaong Pinoy ay hindi lang panglaban, ito rin ay pang-protekta ng mga mahal sa buhay."

Outgoing TV5 head Chot Reyes adds, "The Filipino boxing scene has never been this exciting. The search for the next dominant Pinoy boxer can come from anywhere and bring something new to the table – a new stable, a new boxing style, a new motivation. We are proud to be a pivotal part of this, and to share Gerry Peñalosa’s vision in his search for the next Fearless Pinoy Fighter."

AksyonTV evolves into 5 Plus

TV5 Pres & CEO Chot Reyes with Anna Bengzon & Mell Yazon-Tolentino

Earlier today, AksyonTV officially made its evolution to 5 Plus.

The change had been officially unveiled via a press launch earlier this week, as TV5 decided to streamline its coverage to be more in-line with what it wants to be.

5 Plus will act as 5's secondary channel, tailored to a younger and more adventurous audience with its atypical sports and sports-related content. To reflect the change, a complete overhaul has been made, which includes its look and its music identity and sonic branding.

TV5 President and CEO Chot Reyes shares, "We are excited to start the new year with the launch of 5 Plus. The intent was to create a home for what we call atypical sports – titles with a highly engaged audience base that don’t typically receive visibility of this scale. Expanding our sports coverage also enables us to attract a new audience: the younger sports fan. 5 Plus aims to serve content that resonates with the pace of their active lifestyle, and is in line with their varied interests. The combination of both 5 and 5 Plus allows us to cement and expand further our foothold in sports."

He also shared that 5 Plus will also serve a major role if they secure the rights to cover the SEA Games.

AksyonTV viewers are already accustomed to seeing eSports coverage on the channel, and that will continue with the rebrand to 5 Plus, highlighted by the much-anticipated The Nationals, which focuses on games like DoTA 2, Mobile Legends, and Tekken.

Basketball continues to be a focus, with coverage of the upcoming Philippine Collegiate Champions League later this month, as well as action from the National Basketball Training Center.

XGames coverage will also be spun off from 5 to 5 Plus. Also expect original content from Sports5 to also be a part of its portfolio.

For those who were watching the radio simulcast of Radyo5 on AksyonTV, such programming will be still be available, albeit at their new home at Cignal.

In addition, selected 5 Plus content will also be made available online, whether on TV5 on or 5's various social media platforms.

ESPN, TV5 form partnership, establishes ESPN5

ESPN5. Coming soon

Those attending the DigiCon 2017 event at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay on Thursday morning got the surprise from TV5 President Chot Reyes, as he officially announced the return of ESPN to the Philippines with a partnership with TV5.

Addressing the throng present, he says, "Our belief has always been that the Filipino audience deserves the world’s best in sports programming and this drives us to be better in what we do. By competing in sports, it gives us the chance against the giants in our business. There is no way we can compete with them in other fields. But in sports, we have a chance to be called #1."

In the subsequent press conference, Reyes explained that evening programming will be devoted to local coverage with the morning devoted for international sports. He adds that news remains part of the picture, retaining their program coverage on both TV5 and Aksyon TV 41.

In their corresponding official statements, ESPN and TV5 provided further details on how the partnership will work.

• Sports5 now becomes ESPN5, which then handles all sports coverage under TV5's window. The transition officially begins
• TV5 will have access to at least 2,500 hours of programming per year from ESPN's portfolio of content, whether live sports, original programming, or special content (i.e: 30 for 30), bolstering its current sports portfolio highlighted by the PBA and Philippine SuperLiga.

Here is a list of programming included in the ESPN5 launch: Around The Horn, Pardon the Interruption, NCAA College Basketball (including the NCAA Tournament), X Games, NCAA College Football (including the College Football Playoff and Bowl Season), Indycar Racing (including the Indianapolis 500), NFL playoffs (including the Super Bowl).

• SportsCenter will have a local equivalent that will be produced daily at the TV5 Studios in Mandaluyong, which will be shown on TV5. The Philippine edition of SportsCenter likely begins in December, just before that start of the PBA season on December 17. Reyes says they are currently screening talent.
• Both ESPN and TV5 will develop a co-branded multisport ESPN5 website, as well as an ESPN5 app. End goal will see Filipino fans getting their updates and analysis from either option.
• A local version of the ESPN Player streaming service will also be launched later this year, providing hours and hours of streaming content.

TV5 also put out this YouTube clip on their release, with ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth, NFL Live's Trey Wingo, Tony Reali of Around The Horn, and the duo of Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon lending their presence, as well as a message from TV5 Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan.



Here are the thoughts from ESPN Asia-Pacific's Mike Morrison and Reyes about the partnership.

Morrison: "ESPN’s focus around the world is simple: to serve sports fans. This long-term collaboration across television and digital allows us to jointly serve millions of sports fans in the Philippines with exceptional content and coverage. We are very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as we bring ESPN’s great content, and decades of experience in sports media together with a dynamic leader in Philippine sports broadcasting like TV5."

Reyes: "Our partnership with ESPN, long recognized as the worldwide leader in sports, gives us tremendous upside in the quality of sports programming that we bring to the market. ESPN strengthens our current position as the country’s sports authority. It is also a testament to our belief that the Filipino audience deserves the world’s best in sports content and programming."