MTVph (formerly MTV Philippines and MTV Pinoy) was a 24-hour music and entertainment television network co-owned by ViacomCBS Networks International Asia and Solar Entertainment Corporation. The network was launched on August 1, 2017, on all cable/satellite providers in the Philippines,[1] and closed on December 31, 2018.
MTV was relaunched in the Philippines four years later on February 14, 2014 as MTV Pinoy, replacing MTV Southeast Asia. The first music video played on that former channel was "Dear Lonely" performed by Zia Quizon. The channel was co-owned by MTV Networks Asia Pacific and Viva Communications, with the latter company providing required infrastructure. One notable program that aired on MTV Pinoy was MTV Halo-Halo.
On January 1, 2017, MTV Pinoy's feed was reverted to MTV Southeast Asia. This was possibly due to Viacom switching partnerships from Viva to rival company Solar Entertainment, as well as the intense competition from ABS-CBN's music network, Myx. OPM-related programs from MTV Pinoy were transferred to Viva TV and only MTV Pinoy Pop and some local advertising remained, which was shown on the Southeast Asia feed until March 6 of the same year. MTV Pinoy would be replaced by the Solar-owned MTVph starting August 1, 2017 on the American network's 36th birthday.
On July 19, 2017, Viacom International Media Networks and Solar Entertainment Corporation, a Philippine content provider and television network, announced that they would launch the Philippine feed of MTV Southeast Asia as MTVph.[2]
As with MTV's other Filipino ventures since the Fifth Republic was constituted, MTV Pinoy failed to attract any audience, and the network closed on January 1, 2019, being reverted with MTV Southeast Asia.
Format
Unlike most MTV channels around the world and its previous channel (MTV Pinoy), MTVph was broadcast in 4:3 aspect ratio (16:9 letterbox) that most channels broadcast by Solar Entertainment use (with the exception of Solar All-Access and Solar Sports). For programs that aired from MTV Southeast Asia, Solar retained the original aspect ratio for programs that air from MTV Southeast Asia, albeit downscaled to 480i.
Programming
Unlike the previous two MTV channels in the Philippines (MTV Philippines and MTV Pinoy), MTVph aired in MTV Southeast Asia Philippine feed.
