This article is about Nine Media Corporation's news arm formerly known as Solar News and 9News. For other uses, see 9News.
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 such 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.
Solar News and Current Affairs/Solar News 9News and Current Affairs/9News
Country
Philippines
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Pal Marquez (Senior Vice President for Operations) Benjamin Ramos (President, Nine Media Corporation) Pia Hontiveros(Chief Correspondent) Rico Hizon(Senior Anchor, and Director for News Content Development)
Headquarters
Worldwide Corporate Center, EDSA cor. Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
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. (1934-08-30)August 30, 1934 - d. (2016-03-11)March 11, 2016), 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]
As CNN Philippines (2015-2024)
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]
Closure
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 to shift its focus on 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, though selected CNN Philippines' current affairs programs are carried over to RPTV as reruns.