ZOE Broadcasting Network facts for kids

ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc., often called ZOE TV or ZBNI, is a company in the Philippines that broadcasts television and radio shows. It is connected to the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide. ZOE TV has its main office in Ortigas Center, Pasig. It runs TV and radio stations in many parts of the Philippines, including Mega Manila, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao.

The company owns the TV station DZOE-TV Channel 11 and its digital TV channel, UHF Channel 20. Both of these channels currently show programs from the A2Z network. A2Z is a partnership between ZOE and ABS-CBN Corporation, where ABS-CBN buys time on ZOE's channels to air its shows.

ZOE TV

Type	Broadcast television network
Country	Philippines
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Programming
Language(s)	Filipino (main) English (secondary)
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Ownership
Owner	ZOE Broadcasting Network
History
Launched	April 19, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-04-19)
Founder	Eddie Villanueva

Light TV

Type	Broadcast television network
Country	Philippines
Broadcast area	Nationwide
Programming
Language(s)	Filipino (main) English (secondary)
Picture format	1080i (HDTV) (downscaled to 16:9 or letterboxed 480i/576i for the SDTV feed)
Ownership
Owner	ZOE Broadcasting Network
History
Launched	March 10, 2008; 17 years ago (2008-03-10) (as ZOE TV 33) March 1, 2011; 14 years ago (2011-03-01) (as Light TV)
Founder	Eddie Villanueva
Former names	Light Network (2014–2018)

History of ZOE Broadcasting

Early Days of Channel 11

In the 1990s, the rights to use TV Channel 11 in Metro Manila were shared by two religious groups: El Shaddai and Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL). They both wanted full control of the channel. The Philippine Congress stepped in and decided that JIL and its leader, Eddie Villanueva, would get the channel. Villanueva then bought the remaining parts of the channel from El Shaddai.

On April 13, 1998, JIL started its own broadcasts. Channel 11 was relaunched as DZOE-TV, and the ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. was officially created. Their slogan was "Give Love, Celebrate Life."

In 1999, ZOE made a deal with a company called Entertainment Network (Enter-net). Enter-net would air its programs, including CNBC Asia, during the mornings and afternoons. However, by 2002, they had disagreements, and ZOE ended the deal.

In 2001, ZOE TV was the first station to show live coverage of the second EDSA Revolution, a major event in Philippine history.

In 2004, Eddie Villanueva stepped down as ZOE's chairman to run for president of the Philippines. After the election, he returned to the network and still appears on its shows.

Channel Sharing Agreements

Light TV logo used from 2011 to 2014

In April 2005, ZOE TV made a deal with Citynet Network Marketing and Productions, Inc., a company related to GMA Network. Citynet would use all of ZOE's airtime. In return, Citynet would improve ZOE TV's broadcasting equipment.

On September 1, 2005, Channel 11 stopped broadcasting temporarily while GMA upgraded its transmitters and studios. The old transmitter in Ortigas was replaced with a stronger one at GMA's Tower of Power in Quezon City. ZOE still managed the transmitter for Channel 11. ZOE TV itself was relaunched on Channel 33, DZOZ-TV. Channel 33 used a new transmitter in Antipolo, but its main control room stayed in Ortigas Center.

On November 11, 2005, GMA Network took over the main operations of Channel 11. They launched a new TV network called QTV (Quality TeleVision), which later became Q in 2007. On February 28, 2011, Q was changed again to GMA News TV, which is now known as GTV.

In July 2006, Channel 33 began test broadcasts with a job-finding show called Future Finder. On November 27, 2006, Channel 33 officially started broadcasting under a deal with Estima, Inc. This led to the creation of UniversiTV, a channel for college students. UniversiTV showed programs in the evenings and overnight. However, on March 10, 2008, UniversiTV stopped its agreement with Channel 33, possibly because it didn't have enough viewers or advertisers. ZOE TV was left with almost no programs, and it brought back its old station ID from 1998. They did air some entertainment shows and a morning news program called ZTV 33. UniversiTV later became a paid TV channel but stopped operating completely by 2010.

Recent Changes and Digital TV

Light Network logo used from 2014 to 2018

On March 1, 2011, the day after Channel 11 became GMA News TV, Channel 33 was renamed Light TV 33. It introduced new shows made by ZOE and brought back its own news program, News Light. Light TV 33 slowly added more religious programs. On March 31, 2014, Light TV was renamed Light Network and got a new logo and slogan: "Experience Light." It also kept its old slogan, "Kaibigan Mo" (Your Friend).

On February 28, 2017, DZOZ-TV stopped its traditional analog TV signal. It officially launched its digital TV signal, using the ISDB-T standard. This made it the first Philippine TV station to completely switch to digital broadcasting. A week later, on March 6, Light Network updated its on-air look to show it was now fully digital. It also launched a new slogan: "Magaan dito, Kaibigan" (It's light here, Friend).

On February 12, 2018, Light Network changed its name back to Light TV with a new slogan: "God's Channel of Blessings."

On April 24, 2019, GMA Network announced it would end its agreement with ZOE Broadcasting on June 2, 2019. This decision came after GMA's financial report showed that the payments to ZOE for using DZOE-TV were increasing. After the agreement ended, ZOE's own programs were removed from GMA and GMA News TV. GMA News TV's operations then moved to Citynet's DWDB-TV.

To continue GMA Manila's digital TV broadcasts, DZBB-TV and its GMA News TV subchannel were expected to move to UHF channel 15. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) had allowed channels 14-20 to be used for major TV broadcasts.

On June 22, 2020, ZOE Broadcasting Network made history again by being the first broadcasting company to officially switch to digital. However, they also brought Light TV back to analog broadcast on VHF 11. This happened one year after GMA News TV moved its operations to UHF 27. Four days later, the analog broadcast was replaced with Christian programs as part of a test. This was likely to market the channel for new agreements.

On August 6, 2025, Light TV started broadcasting in a wider screen format (16:9). This made the viewing experience better for people with widescreen TVs. However, some older programs still showed in a letterbox format.

Partnership with ABS-CBN

Starting in 2017, ZOE and ABS-CBN Corporation began talking about working together. ABS-CBN had lost its broadcast license, so they discussed either leasing Channel 11's airtime or combining their networks. On October 10, 2020, the companies launched a new channel called A2Z on Channel 11. This new channel shows programs and movies from ABS-CBN, as well as religious shows from Light TV, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and CBN Asia.

A month after A2Z launched, the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) started an investigation into whether the agreement between ABS-CBN and ZOE was legal.

Working with PCMC and Digital Expansion

On September 20, 2021, ZOE Broadcasting Network partnered with Philippine Collective Media Corporation's PRTV Tacloban. This allowed A2Z's programs to be shown on PRTV Tacloban, making it an affiliated station for the first time.

In January 2022, the NTC gave ZOE permission to use UHF channel 20 for its digital TV operations. This meant ZOE could broadcast both A2Z and Light TV digitally outside of Metro Manila.

New Websites Launched

On March 30, 2025, ZOE TV launched two new websites. One is ZBNI.ph, which is the company's main website. The other is ZNews, which publishes articles from Balitang A2Z, Light TV Radio, and DZJV Radyo CALABARZON.

Light TV's Expanded Schedule

On May 5, 2025, Light TV began showing A2Z's news program, Balitang A2Z. It also expanded its weekday broadcast hours from 8:00 am to 11:30 pm. This brought Light TV back to its schedule from before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Legislative Franchise Renewal

On July 17, 2016, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act No. 10888. This law gave ZOE TV a new 25-year license to operate its radio and television stations across the country.

ZOE TV Stations

Digital Terrestrial Television Stations

ZOE TV plans to expand its digital TV broadcasts to more cities across the country.

Digital Subchannels

ZOE TV's digital broadcasts across the country are divided into these subchannels:

     Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Digital Affiliate Stations

Analog Stations

A2Z on Cable and Satellite TV

Radio Stations

See Also

• List of analog television stations in the Philippines
• List of digital television stations in the Philippines
• List of companies of the Philippines