G-Sat (Global Satellite) is a subscription-based direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service commercially available in the Philippines. G-Sat is owned by Global Satellite Technology Services (GSTS), registered in the Philippines with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).[1] G-Sat also carried pay TV channels from Hong Kong (through its feed of some channels), Macau and Taiwan, which TV shows and movies subtitled in Cantonese and Mandarin.
 | |
| Type | Direct-broadcast satellite television |
|---|---|
| Country | Philippines |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Owner | Global Satellite Technology Services (First Global Conglomerates) |
Picture format | DVB-S2 MPEG-4 |
Official website | gsat |
It is operated and managed by international and professional management groups engaged in the business of: satellite wireless transmission, WIMAX transmission, landline transmission, satellite internet data transmission, satellite direct-to-home TV operation, terrestrial television operation, broadband data service, head end in the sky operation, content aggregation, production and distribution, consolidation of telecom and broadcasting management.[1]
In August 2016, G-Sat was moved to SES-9 from their former satellite broadcaster NSS 11 due on its system upgrade.
Technical information
| Satellite | Band | Position | Frequency | Polarity | SR | FEC | Encryption | System | Status | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SES-9 | Ku Band | 108.2° East | 12341, 12401 and 12461 MHz | Horizontal (H) | 45000 | 5/6 | Conax | DVB-S2 MPEG-4 | Commercial broadcast | Philippines |
| 12711 MHz |
G Sat broadcasts in DVB-S (for standard definition channels and audio channels) and DVB-S2 (for HD channels) on SES-9 satellite at 108.2°E. Originally, prior to its system upgrade in August 2016, a loophole has been discovered that half of G Sat's channels were free-to-air, which can be received using an existing free-to-air satellite receiver, this allowed viewers to watch some half of the channels without any existing subscription (in a way to United Kingdom's Freesat service). However, as of August 2016, due to its system upgrade and migration to SES-9, all of the channels are now encrypted (except Golden Nation Network and BBC World Service), which now requires subscription.
In January 2017, G Sat announced to their subscribers to rescan their subscriber's receivers for the channel line-up's change.
Frame rates in some NTSC-relying TV channels, including GMA, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TAP Movies, EBC Foreign Movies (known as "ETTV Western" or "EBC Western"), and others have been dropped from 30/60 FPS to 25/50 FPS (which 25/50 frames per second is based on PAL).
Status of competition and controversy
Dream Satellite TV filed a complaint with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) against Global Broadcasting and Multimedia, Inc. (G Sat) for offering A DTH service in the Philippines without a franchise and a license from Philippine authorities, namely the Philippine Congress for a broadcast franchise and the NTC for a Certificate of Public Convenience.[2] Aside from Dream, the Lopez group, SkyCable, a sister company of ABS-CBN, also filed a similar complaint against GBMI. It argued that GBMI's illegal entry into the industry will result in the unnecessary duplication of an existing service that existing cable TV and DTH-TV service providers already adequately provide.[3]
On July 30, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11481, which extended the franchise of First United Broadcasting Corporation to 25 years.[4]
In-house channels
Current
Currently, G Sat owns its in-house channels:
- One Media Network - news, current affairs and lifestyle channel
- Global Sports Network - sports channel
- Golf Channel Philippines - Dedicated golf channel, in partnership with Comcast/NBCUniversal International Networks
- Music Quest - Karaoke channel
- GSAT News Channel - news and current affairs channel
- Global Movies Channel - movie channel
Former channels
- GKTV 3/PCTV 3
- Global News Network
- Global Pinoy Cinema - Filipino movie channel
- Global Theater - Mandarin movie channel
- One Media Network
- Golden Nation Network
- GCLTHP Movies Channel (GMC)
See also
- Cignal (rival)
- DirecTV (United States)
- Dish Network (United States)
References
- ^ a b G-Sat About Us
- ^ Dream TV operator seeks regulator help over satellite TV dispute retrieved via abs-cbnnews.com Jan 19, 2009
- ^ https://casetext.com/case/sky-cable-2 [bare URL]
- ^ "2 broadcast firms get 25-year franchise extension".