iWantTFC (formerly known as iWant TV and iWant) is a Filipino

over-the-top media service An over-the-top media service (also known as over-the-top television, or simply OTT) is a digital distribution service of video and audio delivered Direct-to-consumer, directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through an Terrestria ...

and

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

owned and operated by ABS-CBN Digital Media, a division of

ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino Media conglomerate, media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television and film production, Broadcast syndication, progra ...

. It was formed in 2020 through the merger of two streaming services iWant and TFC Online. In addition to offering on-demand contents of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

, iWantTFC also live streams linear channels including

Kapamilya Channel Kapamilya Channel () is a 24-hour Filipino pay television network owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Its headquarters is located at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City and serves ...

, DZMM TeleRadyo, ANC and Knowledge Channel. The service is available worldwide, primarily catering to Filipino audiences. It is also the replacement for Sky On Demand of

Sky Cable Sky Cable (stylized as SKYcable) is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of th ...

since September 1, 2020.

History

ABS-CBNnow! (2003–2010)

iWantTFC traced its origins and was first launched in 2003 as ABS-CBNnow!, a service primarily focusing to the OFWs where they can watch ABS-CBN local programs (such as ''

TV Patrol ''TV Patrol'' is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and All TV. Originally anchored by Noli de Castro, Mel Tiangco and Robert Arevalo, it premiered on March 2, 1987, on the netw ...

'', '' Morning Girls'', '' MTB'', ''

Maalaala Mo Kaya (, abbreviated as ''MMK'') is a Philippine television drama anthology series broadcast by ABS-CBN and Kapamilya Channel. Hosted by Charo Santos-Concio, its first iteration was aired from May 15, 1991 to December 10, 2022. It is the longest ...

'', ''

Wansapanataym ''Wansapanataym'' ( Filipinization of the English phrase "'' once upon a time''"), also known as ''Wansapanataym Presents'', is a Philippine television drama fantasy anthology series broadcast by ABS-CBN. It aired from June 22, 1997 to February ...

'', '' The Buzz'', and '' Magandang Gabi... Bayan'') anywhere in the world using a PC with high-speed Internet or broadband connection. Users can stream directly or download files and are required to install

Windows Media Player Windows Media Player (WMP, officially referred to as Windows Media Player Legacy to retronym, distinguish it from Windows Media Player (2022), the new Windows Media Player introduced with Windows 11) is the first media player (application soft ...

in order to view contents which are DRM protected. It is one of the first Filipino owned OTT platform. In October 2005, there were approximately 23,000 subscribers worldwide. The biggest share of its subscribers comes from the United States with 8,000, another 6,000 in the United Kingdom, 4,000 in Canada, and the other Asian countries.

iWant TV (2010–2018)

From its launch until 2015, iWant TV had foreign contents from many pan-regional television channels including

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

, the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

, E!,

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, and

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

. These particular contents are now diverted into a new service called Sky On Demand, which is exclusive to

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

subscribers. In August 2015, iWant TV introduced the film '' Must Date the Playboy'', the first movie that was released exclusively through iWant TV and ABS-CBN Mobile service. On September 26, 2016, a partnership with

PLDT PLDT, Inc., formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (), is a Philippine telecommunications, internet and digital service company. PLDT is one of the Philippine's major telecommunications providers, along with Globe Te ...

and its subsidiary

Smart Communications Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart, is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines. As of November ...

was announced during a signing ceremony attended by Eugenio Lopez III (Chairman of ABS-CBN), Carlo L. Katigbak (President and CEO of ABS-CBN), Manny Pangilinan (Chairman of PLDT) and other executives of ABS-CBN, PLDT and Smart. The partnership would enable PLDT and Smart customers to access the iWant TV website and mobile apps.

As iWant (2018–2020)

On November 16, 2018, the service officially relaunched as iWant, which now emphasizes on adding original content similar to

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

and Iflix. It featured ''Spirits: Reawaken'' (a reboot of the original television series), '' Quezon's Game'', and ''Alamat ng Ano''. ''Glorious'' and ''MA'' were the first two iWant original films.

As iWantTFC (2020–2025)

On September 1, 2020, iWant merged with TFC Online and was soft launched as iWantTFC. The service inherited the worldwide accessibility of TFC Online. TFC IPTV and TFC Direct via cable and satellite subscribers have instant online access to iWantTFC with TFC Everywhere (TVE) feature. They also made iWantTFC's full library accessible for free for users in the Philippines. On April 26, 2023, ABS-CBN announced a collaboration with

GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...

to stream the latter's international channels and local programs on iWantTFC starting May 1 for users outside of the Philippines.

Return to iWant branding (2025–present)

In June 2025, iWantTFC will relaunch to its 2018 counterpart iWant with a new interface and features. ABS-CBN Corporate website stated that relaunch has now moved to July 2025 but a post from iWantTFC's twitter page on June 4, 2025 makes the launch back to the original which will be on June 12, 2025 for Smart TVs. The full launch will be on July 10, 2025.

Content

iWantTFC stores over 10,000 hours of content and programs, over 1,000 films and television series, and several live on-demand channels and video-on-demand. Most of its contents and films are produced by

's divisions including ABS-CBN Studios and ABS-CBN Films. In addition, there are over 20 original films and over 50 original series produced by iWantTFC. The platform also provides live streams of several of ABS-CBN's broadcast properties, some operated by ABS-CBN's subsidiaries Creative Programs and ABS-CBN International.

, DZMM TeleRadyo, and Knowledge Channel are exclusively available in the Philippines; while

The Filipino Channel The Filipino Channel, commonly known as TFC, is a global subscription television network owned and operated by the Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. Its programming is composed primarily of imported programs produced and distri ...

, ANC Global, TeleRadyo Serbisyo Global, Cinema One Global, Cine Mo! Global,

MOR Entertainment MOR Entertainment is a new media radio service owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation. MOR started in 2001 as the FM brand of ABS-CBN Regional and terrestrially operated 15 radio stations in the Philippines. As a broadcast radio network, MO ...

and Myx America (North America only) are available outside of the Philippines.

Notes

References

External links

* {{VOD services 2003 establishments in the Philippines ABS-CBN Digital Media ABS-CBN subsidiaries Internet properties established in 2003 Internet television streaming services Philippine entertainment websites Subscription video on demand services