FIRST, THE MOVIES. Now TV is going digital, too.

ABS-CBN is gearing up for the big switch from analog to digital television, according to Charo Santos-Concio, network president and chief operating officer.

?In May, the network is launching a test run in Pampanga,? she told Inquirer Entertainment in an exclusive interview.

The network is distributing digital boxes to a random sampling of households in the Central Luzon province, Concio explained. ?The test run will allow us to get feedback from viewers, too. That will help us determine viewer preferences. Do they want another Filipino movie channel? A men?s channel? A channel for children??

She added: ?Going digital means a frequency will be able to accommodate 12 channels. At present, there are 12 channels on both the VHF and UHF bands. In other countries, there are over 500 channels. Eventually, viewers can also have video-on-demand.?

More channels could result in innovation, content-wise, Concio said. ?A network can go into niche programming. We don?t have to service the mainstream all the time. We can address very specific markets.?

A network that?s not catering to the masses can more easily expand its programming, she said. ?A channel can take more risks.? This has happened in the US, she noted. ?Cable shows like ?Sex & the City,? ?Six Feet Under? and ?Entourage? won at the Emmys. It?s the future of television.?

The medium needs to evolve with the fast-changing times, Concio said. ?In the US, even major networks? audience shares have decreased, with the advent of competing media like the Internet and mobile entertainment.?

Further, she said, going digital, which is mandated by the government (deadline is 2015), could also mean more jobs in the broadcast industry.

?It can spell good news to independent filmmakers and content providers,? she said.

Right now, the main concern is formulating the rules. ?The National Telecommunications Commission [has yet to decide] whether we will follow the European, American or Japanese standard,? said Concio.

She added: ?We are also conducting a price sensitivity study for the digital boxes. In other countries, the government purchased them.?