NEWSFLASH

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PHENOMENAL GROWTH IN RP CABLE TV INDUSTRY

Manila, May 24, 1998 - One of the fastest growing industries in the Philippines is cable television, which has grown from 147 companies in 1992 to 894 in 1997.

At the 6th Philippine International Cable Show, Transportation and Communications Secretary Josie Lichauco said the industry is expected to even get bigger as new operators are lining up to enter the tough and competitive market of CATV service.

Lichauco said that CATV has managed to re-define entertainment and news watching in most Filipino homes.

Filipinos have now discovered the value of CATV as an alternative medium where breaking news travels faster, information becomes abundant, events are carried live and popular entertainment programs and movies are shown only a few months or weeks after they are premiered in theaters.

Lichauco noted that CATV has turned into an indispensable item in the household because of its impact on the family's lifestyle and on how they do business.

"There is a window of opportunity for CATV to provide telecommunications services in the future. Maybe cable operators will work on an array of services including electronic mail, banking, retail transactions, high-speed Internet access and even telephone calls," Lichauco predicted.

She explained that a DOTC Executive Order permits CATV operators to lease the excess capacity of their cable networks for telecommunications, broadcast or information services.

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