IBC was also commonly referred to as "The Kaibigan Network", the Filipino term for "friend", which was introduced between 2019 and 2023[1] until it was later dropped in 2023 in favor of using the government slogan "Bagong Pilipinas", which is shared with PTV.

As a government-run station, IBC received funding from the General Appropriations Act (Annual National Budget) and sales from blocktimers and advertisers, among others.

In September 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law for the entire country, forcing all television and radio networks (except KBS which was owned by Roberto Benedicto) to be shut down by the government.

In 1976, IBC became one of the country's most-viewed TV networks with its primetime lineup and full-length local and foreign films aired on this channel.

Following those events, IBC, RPN and BBC, were sequestered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for allegedly being part of the crony capitalism under the Marcos regime.

[citation needed] President Aquino turned over IBC and RPN to the Government Communications Group and, through an executive order, awarded BBC's Channel 2 frequency to ABS-CBN.

When BBC closed down on March 20, 1986, both the IBC and RPN absorbed the majority of its displaced employees, which led to the doubling of the network's expenses, and a three-fold increase in the cost of programming.

Line-produced shows and co-production ventures with some big film companies like Viva, Regal, and Seiko were favored, aside from their station-produced programs.

[citation needed] In 1987, IBC rebranded and adopted a new slogan, "Life Begins at 13", noted for the butterfly logo in the form of the letter E and the number 13.

IBC's top-rated shows were stolen by rival networks;[citation needed] however, it scored a victory when it acquired the program Loveli-Ness, starring Alma Moreno, from ABS-CBN in 1988.

In October of that year, Islands Broadcast Corporation, under the leadership of Alfonso Denoga and Gil Balaguer, took over the management and marketing of IBC 13.

In March 1993, the Makati City RTC issued a court order terminating Islands Broadcast Corporation as the marketing and sales agent of IBC 13 due to unpaid financial obligations to the network.

[10] Popular programs that aired in this period of the network's history include Choudenshi Bioman and Hikari Sentai Maskman which came to IBC in July 1987 and June 1989, respectively.

[citation needed] On May 27, 1994, IBC launched its new slogan Pinoy ang Dating (Filipino for 'Filipino styled') with a music video featuring Grace Nono.

[12] At the same time, IBC installed a new Harris 60-kilowatt transmitter in San Francisco del Monte for clearer TV reception and began using the APSTAR 1 satellite to broaden its international reach.

On September 2, 2000, IBC was granted a 25-year legislative franchise extension under Republic Act 8954, albeit without President Joseph Estrada's signature; the bill lapsed into law after 30 days of inaction.

However, Makisig Network's programs were not aired due to questions on the propriety of the terms and conditions of the agreement, which eventually expired in October 2008.

[21] In 2011, IBC entered into a joint venture agreement with Prime Realty, an affiliate of R-II Builders Group of Reghis Romero Jr.

[29] On April 11, 2013, MediaQuest Holdings chairman Manny Pangilinan announced that AKTV would not renew the blocktime agreement in May due to high costs, poor ratings,[30] and doubts about IBC's future.

However, on August 31, 2014, programs under the ATC @ IBC 13 block suddenly no longer aired on the network, possibly due to poor ratings and a lack of advertisers' support.

Business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan was one of the possible bidders for the privatization, thus involving TV5 in the situation (TV5 being a media company under PLDT's MediaQuest Holdings through ABC Development Corporation).

Despite the expiration of the blocktime agreement in 2013 (AKTV), the network is still using IBC's Broadcast City facilities for sports events, including its 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup coverage.

[36] In January 2016, President Aquino, through the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GCG), approved the planned privatization of IBC.

[37] The privatization terms meant the IBC would undergo public bidding with an estimated floor price of 10 billion pesos.

[citation needed] In late 2018, IBC began to revitalize its infrastructure and its programming after former DOT Undersecretary of Tourism Advocacy and Public Affairs Kat de Castro as president and chief executive officer of the network, replaced Manolito O. Cruz (who died on October 10 of the same year).

In March 2020, IBC announced the suspension of broadcasting their selected regular programs, due to then-President Rodrigo Duterte implementing an enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and Luzon in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.

On March 18, 2022, IBC began to transmit its digital test broadcast on UHF Channel 17 (491.143 MHz) as its permanent frequency assigned by NTC.

[citation needed] However, on September 1, 2022, IBC management announced that the network might cease operations in 2023 despite the ongoing efforts to improve programming, citing various reasons including financial difficulties.