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| GMA Network Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso and Assistant Vice President and Deputy Head for GMA Integrated News Social Media Aileen Rae Perez received the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 Innovation Award for Online Election Campaign - Philippines for the network's 'Dapat Totoo' campaign. Also in photo is Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Tim Charlton. (Image Source: GMA Network) |
The Philippines continues to be recognized in the international scene as GMA Network, ABS-CBN Corporation, Cignal TV and Quezon City LGU's Usapang QC (Let's Talk, QC!) score huge wins and were honored in their respective categories at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023. Held last June 8, 2023 in Singapore, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards seeks to recognize innovation and excellence in projects across the Asia-Pacific region that advance the field of broadcasting in the areas of technology, digitalization, and engineering.
GMA Network’s Eleksyon 2022 digital campaign ‘Dapat Totoo’ won the “Innovation Award for Online Election Campaign - Philippines”. Produced by GMA Integrated News and GMA Public Affairs, ‘Dapat Totoo’ was designed to inform and engage readers and users on multiple online platforms in support of GMA Network’s comprehensive coverage of the 2022 National and Local Elections. It provided voters with relatable yet trusted sources of content and information across various new digital platforms. "We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 for recognizing GMA Network's Eleksyon 2022 digital campaign. This campaign proved to be an invaluable tool in ensuring that Filipinos, especially the youth, were equipped with accurate information, educated on critical matters, and actively engaged amidst the widespread dissemination of fake news and the complexities surrounding the 2022 Elections. As GMA Integrated News solidifies its position as the unwavering 'News Authority of the Filipino', the Network remains committed to upholding the fundamental principles of journalism, fearlessly confronting the challenges faced by media organizations in this digital age,” said GMA Network Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso.
The winning digital campaign included GMA Network’s Eleksyon 2022 quiz filter, the first augmented reality (AR) quiz filter produced in partnership with GMA New Media, Inc. (GMA NMI). The #eLeksyon2022 quiz filter enabled users to answer election-themed questions and share the results on social media. In addition, GMA Integrated News and GMA Public Affairs collaborated with several personalities, including Tiktok influencer Ychan Laurenz, to reach young voters and educate them on their voting rights. They also launched various election-related TikTok challenges that went viral to further tap and involve Gen Z audiences. "Even before the pandemic, GMA Integrated News and GMA Public Affairs' Social Media Teams optimized the influence of social media and 'meme journalism' to reach a wider and younger demographic. We've always believed that serious issues can be presented in creative and entertaining ways," said GMA Network Assistant Vice President and Deputy Head for GMA Integrated News Social Media Aileen Rae Perez.
Launched as part of the ‘Dapat Totoo’ campaign was WordEleksyon, a Wordle clone game designed to remind voters of traits to look for in ideal candidates. This was developed in collaboration with GMA NMI. The winning election campaign also featured the ‘Dapat Totoo’ Lectures, an exclusive series of webinars for college students that tackled the deep dives on spotting misinformation and becoming citizen journalists. The ‘Dapat Totoo’ campaign garnered 36.7 million views and over 800,000 interactions across social media platforms. In 2022, the ‘Dapat Totoo’ campaign won “Best in Audience Engagement” at the World Association of News Publishers, Digital Media Awards Worldwide in Zaragoza, Spain – making GMA the first Filipino Network to win in the event. It also won ‘Best in Audience Engagement’ at the Digital Media Awards Asia 2022 in Singapore.
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| ABS-CBN's head of digital news gathering Val Cuenca and technical operations desk editor Kerchlynn Tan received the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 Broadcast Innovation Award for its OB Ranger project. (Image Source: ABS-CBN News) |
Headlining the awards received by the Philippines' premiere media and entertainment company in the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 is ABS-CBN News' “OB Ranger Project” which bagged the Broadcast Innovation trophy. The award was received by ABS-CBN's head of digital news gathering Val Cuenca and technical operations desk editor Kerchlynn Tan. “The OB Ranger goes beyond being a mere broadcast vehicle. It symbolizes our ability to overcome obstacles and exemplifies our unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality news coverage that will greatly benefit the Filipino people, our Kapamilya," Tan said in her acceptance speech. The "OB Ranger Project" stemmed from the challenges faced by ABS-CBN News following the non-renewal of the company's broadcast franchise in 2020 which affected its operations as well as resulted in significant cuts to their resources, equipment and facilities. One of the news organization's primary challenges was finding a way to maintain multi-camera live coverage from the field without the conventional microwave vans and satellite trucks that relied on the franchise. In its efforts to innovate, ABS-CBN News' OB Ranger Project was born.
According to Cuenca who is the head of the project, the OB Ranger was constructed using equipment that was being considered “for disposal”. By repurposing and employing a cost-effective approach, the company continued to achieve top-notch production value for live coverage at no additional cost. The OB Ranger has streamlined the news organizations' live broadcast teams and equipment, resulting in significant cost savings. It has also fostered the development of new skills and broadcast knowledge among its team members who have embraced multitasking and assumed new roles to adapt to the changing landscape of the industry. ABS-CBN News head of news gathering Chi Almario said the OB Ranger project presents an ideal solution to the challenges faced by the organization as it continues to cater to viewers of traditional broadcast and digital media. The OB Ranger's flexibility has empowered ABS-CBN News to respond swiftly to breaking news, particularly in remote areas where many Filipinos yearn for attention to their circumstances and the stories they wish to share. Aside from the OB Ranger project, ABS-CBN also received the Excellence Award for OTT Platform for its global online streaming platform iWantTFC and the Innovation Award for Cloud-Playout Migration. Big Dipper also earned the Innovation Award for Audio Description for providing an inclusive viewing experience for hearing-impaired audiences. Patrick Ongchango, head of media engineering, received the awards. ABS-CBN's achievement in securing the awards showcases its commitment to delivering exceptional content to its viewers in the Asia Pacific region and beyond, said Tan.
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| ABS-CBN's head of media engineering Patrick Ongchango received the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 Excellence Award for OTT Platform for the global online streaming platform iWantTFC, Innovation Award for Cloud-Playout Migration and Innovation Award for Audio Description for Big Dipper. (Image Source: ABS-CBN News) |
Cignal TV's companion live and video on-demand streaming platform Cignal Play received the Excellence Award for Cloud-Native Platform for its cloud-native Over-The-Top (OTT) platform in partnership with Quickplay to provide more viewing and content access options for its subscribers in the Philippines and across the globe through an extension of the service allowing users to view available content in the comforts of their own homes via smart devices and the first live and on-demand sports streaming service in the country. The Cignal Play expansion allows subscribers in the Philippines to access an all-in-one entertainment platform with multiple tiers of live and on demand content from Cignal TV, in addition to third-party apps and streaming services, regardless of their broadband provider. On the other hand, the sports app, making use of the Quickplay infrastructure of Cignal Play on mobile and handheld devices, is slated as a single source for live events, timely sports news and information, interactive experiences, and other unique content that cater to the varied interests of Filipino fans around the world.
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| Quezon City Mayor Hon. Joy Belmonte and QC LGU's Public Affairs and Information Services Department (PAISD) Head Engelbert Apostol received the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2023 Excellence Award for Government Streaming for its Usapang QC. (Image Source: Quezon City LGU) |
Usapang QC, which runs every other Friday and livestreamed via the official Facebook page of the city government, showcases not only the initiatives of the local government but the experiences of residents who have benefitted from the city’s diverse programs and projects as well. Questions and comments from online viewers and barangay leaders are given due importance during the show. Before Usapang QC, the city government launched a similar online talk show entitled “Sa Totoo Lang” Webinar Series to debunk misconceptions and address concerns on COVID-19 vaccines, and other timely concerns of QCitizens. No other than Mayor Joy Belmonte accepted the Excellence Award for Government Streaming recognition who expressed her gratitude and stressed the significance of Usapang QC in promoting the city’s ongoing efforts to improve the lives of its citizens. She stressed the show’s role in fostering good governance transparency, and an engaged citizenry. The mayor, in her message, vows “to continue creating quality content and informative discussions as part of our commitment to inclusive and innovative leadership, as well as to fighting misleading information in social media.” Setting a remarkable precedent among local government units in the Philippines, Usapang QC is a first of its kind government-led show streaming regularly on Facebook. It is spearheaded by the QC LGU's Public Affairs and Information Services Department (PAISD) through the leadership of Department Head Engelbert Apostol with the full support of Belmonte and the entire local government.
