Not Dead Yet: ATC @ IBC Returns from Long Hiatus

June 27, 2017

'Former Swiss ambassador to the Philippines Raoul Imbach will try his hand at hosting on ATC @ IBC-produced show ‘An Evening with Raoul’. (Photo credit: The Manila Times)'

It looks like the ATC @ IBC block is going back to business, sort of.

The Asian Television Content Corporation (via their newly established Facebook page) announced a pair of programs that will air on IBC-13 starting this July. First on the bucket list is a talk show called An Evening with Raoul, which will air beginning this Sunday at 9:45 p.m.

The Raoul in An Evening to Raoul refers to former Swiss ambassador to the Philippines Raoul Imbach, who is also an avid singer. He will bring some special guests who will primarily share with him their common passions.

ATC @ IBC will also air the 2017 Boracay Latin Dance Festival. The tape-delayed event will air on July 24 at 11:30 p.m.

The last time ATC was active on IBC-13 was when it aired games of the PBA D-League and NAASCU airs on IBC News Network (INN 45) and the UCBL on PTV-4 between 2015 and mid-2016. Previous to that were a slate of programs that included two telenovelas, some documentary programs and even ONE FC.

Unfortunately, IBC-13’s continuously poor state was too much for ATC to overcome, and the company seem destined to fold. Considering that their website was shut down and their original Facebook page no longer posts new content, liquidation of assets should have been the solution for the beleaguered company.

But with these recent developments, it appears that ATC’s presumptive demise was only premature. Then again, the slow snail-like privatization process of IBC-13 will once again come to play here, and the short-term benefits of ATC’s reentry may not be enough to give the perpetually moribund network a much-needed shot in the arm.

If ATC fails anew, it will not be surprising to see IBC-13 go back to airing unlimited hours’ worth of TV Shop Philippines plus religious and cockfighting programs. For now, though, enjoy this low-key comeback while it lasts.