| Hero | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | October 1, 2005 (first official broadcast) November 12, 2005 (official launch) |
| Network | ABS-CBN |
| Owned by | Creative Programs, Inc. (subsidiary of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation) |
| Slogan | Sa HERO TV, Ikaw ang Bida! (Here on HERO TV, You're the Protagonist!) |
| Country |  Philippines |
| Broadcast area | Philippines |
| Headquarters | Quezon City, Philippines |
| Sister channel(s) | ABS-CBN News Channel CinemaOne Global Kapamilya Channel Lifestyle Network Myx Studio 23 The Filipino Channel |
| Website | http://www.herotvonline.tv |
| Availability | |
| Cable | |
| SkyCable | Channel 44 |
| SkyCable Davao | Channel 17 |
Hero is the anime cable channel in the Philippines formed by Creative Programs Inc. (the cable subsidiary of ABS-CBN) which also produces MYX, Cinema One, ABS-CBN News Channel and Lifestyle Network. So far, it is seen on SkyCable in Metro Manila and in over 200 cable systems all over the Philippines. It is also known as Hero TV by fans and at times by the channel itself probably due to ambiguation purposes. It is the first and only all-Tagalog-dubbed anime channel. It aired its first test broadcast from August to September, 2005. Regular broadcast started on the following month, it was formally launched at the Philippine Trade Training Center on November 12, 2005. Initially, the channel airs between 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight; but since April 2006, the schedule has been extended to 2:00 a.m. the next day.
Contents |
Anime shown on the channel
Much of the content in Hero is attributed to the fact that Creative Programs Inc's parent company ABS-CBN (though its main network has produced numerous dubs of anime years before the launch of Hero). Aside from those, the channel also airs anime that have not yet seen in any terrestrial or cable channel shown in the Philippines prior its first showing in the channel, such as Mirmo de Pon!. The channel also features anime dubbed by Telesuccess, Inc., supplier for most of the anime aired in ABS-CBN's rival GMA 7. Some of these are Love Hina, Rune Soldier, and Shaman King. Others seen in the channel were previously shown in English on Cartoon Network's Philippine feed or, in the case of Raijin-Oh, on government-controlled RPN 9. Furthermore, the channel features re-dubs, i.e. it produced its own dubbed version of anime which previously were already dubbed in Tagalog. Examples of these were Mon Colle Knights, Metal Fighter Miku, Zenki, The Slayers, and Voltes V. See also list of anime broadcast by Hero, past and present.
Non-anime programs
Although the channel prides itself as an anime channel, some of the programs it aired were non-anime. They are Mission Odyssey and Shadow of the Elves, both produced by the Berliner Film Companie, and the tokusatsu or live-action shows The Gransazers, Masked Rider Ryuki, and Shaider. As of the present, all of these five have been pulled out of the rotation. The following programs joined and will join these five programs as non-anime programs shown on Hero:
Tokusatsu programs
- Masked Rider 555 (tokusatsu)
- Power Rangers (Dino Thunder, Ninja Storm, and SPD)
- The Justirisers
- Masked Rider Blade
- Sazer X
- Ryukendo
Anime-style animation programs
- Di-Gata Defenders (produced by Nelvana)
- Mythic Warriors (produced by Nelvana)
- Class of the Titans (produced by Nelvana)
- BASToF Lemon (Korean animation series)
- G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 (spin-off of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by GONZO)
- Bubbles (小鲤鱼历险记 Xiǎo Lǐ Yú Lì Xiǎn Jì, a.k.a. The Adventures of Little Carp, Chinese animation series)
- Mix Master (Korean animation series)
Western-style animation programs
- Heavy Gear
- Godzilla: The Series
- Street Fighter
- Megaman (produced by Ruby-Spears)
- Wildcats
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2003 version
- Beast Machines: Transformers
HERO-produced programs
- G³ (G-cubed) ("Games, Gigs, and Gadgets," a locally-produced technology program)
- Animenutes (a locally-produced anime news and information program)
- Level Up TV (a show for online gamers)
Program blocks
Below are Hero's television blocks, past and present:
- Theatrixx is the channel's weekend movie block which shows a different anime movie each weekend.
- League of Heroes is a weekday block which features the channels most prominent anime characters
- Food Fantasy Face-off is a food-themed weekday block which features Yakitate!! Japan and Mister Ajikko.
- Super Sentai Showdown (formerly Saturday Super Sentai) a program block shown on weekend which air tokusatsu and Power Ranger shows (see Non-anime programs above).
- Dream Team is a sport-themed block.
- Ohayoo Hero! is an early weekday morning block which features anime meant to be watched by children. The Ohayoo part is a misspelled transliteration of the Japanese greeting "Ohayō!"
- Girl Power is a block of programs that feature women as heroine.
Local short segments
In between shows or commercial breaks, the channel produced short segments for the viewers' pleasure.
- Anime 101 is anime fans' information guide on anime fandom and dubbing.
- AniMYX shows anime mini-music videos (actually random montage clips) which follow the karaoke-cum-music video style of sister music channel MYX.
- Hall of Heroes comprehensively profiles a certain anime character.
- Stars on Hero is actually a promotion skit done by various celebrities, usually those from ABS-CBN.
- Hero Alert announces major events related to anime, manga, and cosplay.
- Hero's Choice recommends places for viewers to visit and enjoy (hence a travel guide).
- In early 2006, channel aired Hero Solutions which asked random people about their "hero solutions" to existing problems.
- Dream On features a viewer living out his ambition or dream job for a short period of time.
Hero on TFC
Hero programs, such as Astroboy, Zenki, and many more, are being shown internationally by The Filipino Channel. Based on its promotional ad, the time block covers anime that have now been pulled out of Hero's regular program rotation in the Philippines.
Competitors
So far among cable TV channels in the Philippines, Hero competes directly with Animax. This is unique since Animax is the only channel in the rest of Asia which exclusively airs anime. Hero also faces indirect competition from Cartoon Network's Toonami block. Interestingly (as the above lists mentioned), Hero airs programs which Animax also airs in some of its channels outside Southeast Asia, e.g. InuYasha. InuYasha was later joined by Saiyuki Reload and many others which had previous stints in any of Animax's various international feeds.
Primetime schedule
All times are in standard Philippine time (GMT + 8), and the grid below covers only the 6:00 to 11:00pm timeslots.
| 6:00 PM | 6:30 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:30 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Yakitate!! Japan | Beet the Vandel Buster | Eureka Seven | Naruto | Gatchaman | Yakitate!! Japan | Prince of Tennis | Eyeshield 21 | Street Fighter II V | Get Backers |
| Tuesday | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Galaxy Angel | ||||||||
| Wednesday | Eyeshield 21 | Street Fighter II V | ||||||||
| Thursday | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Galaxy Angel | ||||||||
| Friday | Eyeshield 21 | Street Fighter II V | ||||||||
| Saturday | Peacemaker | Ghenma Wars | Demon Lord Dante | Knights of Lamune VS | Mix Master | G³ | Pretty Cure | Beck | School Rumble | Izumo |
| Sunday |
| Legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Anime series | Non-anime programs | Locally-produced shows | Theatrixx |
See also
External links
- Official Site (English)
- HERO Blogspot
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