1. Background
    Shutdown and migration to social media 

2. Final programming
    Non-anime programs 

3. References

4. External links

Hero (formerly known as Hero TV) is a pop culture web portal based in Quezon City and is currently operated by ABS-CBN Digital Media, a division of the media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. It provides content on Japanese anime, pop culture and eGames. Hero was formerly a 24-hour Filipino pay TV channel from 2005 to 2018 operated by ABS-CBN narrowcast arm Creative Programs which its programming was composed primarily of Filipino-dubbed Japanese animation.

Background

Much of the content in Hero is attributed to the fact that Creative Programs Inc's parent company ABS-CBN (through its main network) has produced numerous dubs of anime years before the launch of Hero, as well as maintained an Animax airing block for quite sometime. Aside from those, the channel also airs anime that have not yet seen in any terrestrial or cable channel shown in the Philippines prior to its first showing in the channel, such as Mirmo de Pon!

The channel also once featured anime dubbed by Telesuccess, Inc., supplier for most of the anime aired on GMA Network, before transferring them all to TeleAsia. Some of these are Love Hina, Rune Soldier, and Shaman King.^[1] Others seen in the channel were previously shown in English on Cartoon Network's Philippine feed (e.g. Crush Gear Turbo) or, in the case of Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh, on government-controlled RPN 9 (now known as CNN Philippines).^[2]

Furthermore, the channel features re-dubs (i.e. producing its own dubbed version of anime which previously were already dubbed in Tagalog.) Examples of these are Mon Colle Knights, Metal Fighter Miku, Zenki, The Slayers, and Voltes V.

In 2011, undubbed anime was introduced to the channel with accompanying Filipino-language subtitles in the form of Pyramid of Light, and the Initial D Extra Stage OVA. The reason for airing these two anime features in their original Japanese audio is unknown.

Ever since its launch in 2005, Hero channel operated on a daily 18-hour-a-day schedule from 6 am to 12 midnight, during its first months of their operation. In April 2006, it expanded its operating hours to 20-hours, thus signing off at 2 am of the following day. It was in 2011 when the channel finally transitioned into a full 24-hour cable tv service.

In the summer season of 2012, Hero TV begins to greatly increase its lineup of new titles starting with Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, Naruto Shippuden, Hanasaku Iroha, and Shiki; as well as airing the first two series of the Sailor Moon franchise, and a more complete version of the Aniplex-produced Jigoku Shoujo. Except for Sailor Moon, Jigoku Shoujo and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, all of these titles have never been aired on Animax before (Animax airs Railgun and Sailor Moon in other countries.)

Shutdown and migration to social media

On December 23, 2017, an Anime Pilipinas article stated that Hero TV will end its broadcast operations on January 31, 2018 after 12 years due to lack of advertising support and change in business direction. It was publicly announced through a commercial that aired in the channel on January 16.^[3]

During the last full day of broadcast, January 31, Hero TV aired a Facebook live broadcast, where its staff shared great memories and thanked supporters. Hero TV signed off for the last time on February 1, 2018 at 12:04 am, after airing a tribute video that shows past anime titles, and local programs and events produced or sponsored by the station, ending with a final farewell message and the words "Hero Now Signing Off." (Few seconds later, cable providers still receiving Hero would see the modified EBU test card that reads "ABS-CBN TOC SD" before shutdown until the provider can replace it or automatically scan with another channel, while Sky Cable have replaced this channel with Liga, a sports channel that complements the programming of S+A with international football and local sports events, which was silently launched earlier on January 1, 2018.)

On February 7, 2018, Hero is relaunched, demoted to a social media portal and is being handled by the Lifestyle team from ABS-CBN Digital Media, but will not carry anime titles nor establish an anime video-on-demand service. Its news content includes anime, gaming and pop culture.^[4] On March 2018, Jeepney TV featured a two-hour Weekend morning anime block for Hero, but was later cancelled in July 2018 to focus on local programming.^[5] Meanwhile, its sister station Yey! (an ABS-CBN TV Plus exclusive channel) has limited airing of some of the anime titles aired on Hero and will carry the last remaining new titles on Yey! channel including Ace of Diamond, My Hero Academia now on ABS-CBN, Naruto Shippuden, One-Punch Man now on ABS-CBN, Digimon Adventure tri., and Doraemon.

Final programming

Non-anime programs

Although the channel markets itself as an "anime channel", some of the programs it aired were non-anime. They are Mission Odyssey and Shadow of the Elves, both produced by the Berliner Film Companie, and the tokusatsu or live-action shows The Gransazers, Masked Rider Ryuki, and Shaider.

References

External links

• {{ann|company|5682|Hero TV channel}}

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