ABS-CBN to retrench around 200 employees amid content industry headwinds

ABS-CBN is set to retrench around 200 employees, or about 7% of its workforce, as the Philippine media company continues efforts to rebuild its content business.

In a statement, ABS-CBN said its shows, films, music and events continue to reach audiences across platforms in the Philippines and internationally. The company said it is also working to “re-build and re-create ABS-CBN towards a new future.”

However, it said the wider content industry has faced a difficult year, citing the Middle East conflict, high inflation and low economic growth as factors contributing to weaker advertising and consumer spending.

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“These events have affected our recovery efforts and we expect these challenges to continue,” the company said.

Following a review of its business, ABS-CBN said it had decided to implement a retrenchment programme to maintain its financial position.

“We know this will deeply affect our employees and their families, and we intend to manage this the way we have always done - with compassion for our Kapamilya,” ABS-CBN said.

The company added that recent investments in its business represented confidence in its future and would support its recovery and efforts to pursue new opportunities.

The retrenchment comes shortly after ABS-CBN secured around 6 billion pesos (US$96 million) in fresh capital, led by Filipino investment firm I&C Holdings Corp., which is investing 3.5 billion pesos (US$56 million). Lopez family-linked investors are contributing a further 2.5 billion pesos (US$40 million).

The latest cuts also mark another reduction in ABS-CBN’s workforce since the company lost its broadcast franchise in 2020. The company entered the shutdown period with more than 11,000 workers across regular employees, project and programme-based staff, independent contractors and talent. By the end of 2025, its workforce had fallen to 3,646, according to figures cited by Rappler.

The company has undergone workforce reductions in the past several years, including a major retrenchment in 2020. ABS-CBN said at the time that nearly 5,000 workers were affected by the first round of cuts.

ABS-CBN said it remained focused on expanding the reach of its content across platforms and markets as it works towards its longer-term positioning as a global storytelling company. The company concluded by thanking its employees for their dedication.

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