Nine Media News and Current Affairs | |
Label1: | Division of |
Data1: | Nine Media Corporation |
Label2: | Former names |
Data2: | Solar News and Current Affairs/Solar News 9News and Current Affairs/9News |
Label3: | Country |
Data3: | Philippines |
Label4: | Area served |
Data4: | Worldwide |
Label5: | Key people |
Label6: | Headquarters |
Data6: | Worldwide Corporate Center, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Philippines |
Label7: | Language |
Label8: | Formed |
Nine Media News and Current Affairs (formerly known as Solar News and Current Affairs/Solar News and 9News and Current Affairs/9News) was the news and public affairs production arm and sole division of the media company Nine Media Corporation leasing the airtime of Radio Philippines Network. The division was in charge of production of local news and content of Nine Media's television brands Talk TV, Solar News Channel, 9TV, and CNN Philippines. 9News ceased identifying themselves explicitly under said brand when the channel was launched as CNN Philippines on March 16, 2015. The division itself was dissolved following the closure of the channel on January 31, 2024 due to financial losses.
After Solar Entertainment Corporation acquired 34 percent of Radio Philippines Network from the Philippine government as part of RPN/IBC privatization in 2011, Solar TV ventured into the news at the end of 2011.[1] On July 16, 2012, Solar News launched its first local newscasts including Solar Network News, Solar Newsday, Solar Daybreak and Solar Nightly News.
In November 2013, San Miguel Corporation President and COO Ramon S. Ang acquired a majority stake in Solar Television Network as well as its stake on RPN, The Tiengs were the majority stockholders then of STVNI.[2] Meanwhile, on August 20, 2014, Solar Entertainment Corporation chief Wilson Tieng announced that he ceded his entire share on Solar TV Network, Inc., including its 34% majority share on RPN, to the now-late Antonio Cabangon-Chua (b. 30 August 1934 - d.), owner of business newspaper BusinessMirror and Aliw Broadcasting Corporation. The Tiengs were losing money after they invested in RPN and the group focused on the cable channels of the Solar Entertainment Corporation[3] [4] To reflect the change of ownership, and upon announcement of the rebranding of Solar News Channel into 9TV by August 23, Solar News will also rebrand into 9News, retaining its news and current affairs programming as 9TV expands its weekend programming.[5] [6] [7]
9News underwent major overhaul as parent Nine Media Corporation signed a 5-year brand licensing agreement (later extended until the end of 2024) with Turner Broadcasting System/Warner Bros. Discovery to share resources with CNN to integrate the latter's content and 9News's reporting as CNN Philippines that launched on March 16, 2015.
On January 25, 2024, Media Newser Philippines reported that Nine Media Corporation and CNN agreed to shut down CNN Philippines by mutual agreement due to financial losses as well as poor ratings of the network and loss of advertisers' support. The Radio Philippines Network branding is set to return to its stations for some time in the future while CNN weighs its future options.[8]
Nine Media News and Current Affairs was dissolved on January 31, 2024, following the closure of CNN Philippines. The division's live news operations was earlier ceased on January 29, citing financial losses and a shift in focus to the operations of their sister channel, Aliw Channel 23.[9] [10]
On February 1, 2024, Nine Media Corporation formed a partnership with TV5 Network and launched CNN Philippines' replacement channel RPTV. Its news programs are now outsourced from TV5's news division News5, through selected CNN Philippines' current affairs programs are carried over to RPTV as reruns. However, in a published article by Rappler on May 15, 2024, RPN's in-house newscast NewsWatch will be revived as NewsWatch Plus after a 12-year hiatus under the production of Nine Media Corporation and composed of former CNN Philippines staff and correspondents, which were laid off following the closure of the channel, and dissolution of its news department on January 31, 2024, and will be seen initially on online and digital platform starting from July 1, 2024 and later on TV (via RPTV and Aliw Channel 23).[11]