Sunday, January 3, 2021
GMA Network sparks hope this 2021 with exciting new programs and offerings
GMA Network offers a beacon of hope this 2021 as it ushers in the New Year with a stellar roster of exciting new programs and offerings.
Kick-starting the line-up for GMA Afternoon Prime is the return of “Magkaagaw” with recap and fresh episodes to ring in the New Year. Magkaagaw is the high-rating soap top-billed by Sunshine Dizon, Klea Pineda, Jeric Gonzales, and Sheryl Cruz. Next up is the heart-tugging story of “Babawiin Ko Ang Lahat” top-billed by John Estrada and Carmina Villaroel, and in her first starring role, promising Kapuso drama actress Pauline Mendoza. The well-loved tandem of Rita Daniela and Ken Chan returns to the small screen on “Ang Dalawang Ikaw” and is joined by Kapuso newcomer Ana Vicente.
Set to launch as well on GMA Afternoon Prime is the TV adaptation of the 1988 award-winning film “Nagbabagang Luha” starring Glaiza de Castro, Rayver Cruz, introducing Claire Castro with Mike Tan. Viewers should also watch out for the riveting legal drama “Artikulo 247”; the multi-layered rivalry of three sisters in “Las Hermanas”; the weekly drama series “Love Connections” that opens with intriguing social media posts and eventually unravels the story behind them; and the story of the little person who one day discovers that she is an heiress despite growing up from a poor family in “Little Princess.”
On GMA Telebabad, the rivalry between friends-turned-mortal-enemies continues in the recap and fresh episodes of “Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday,” top-billed by Kapuso Primetime Princess Barbie Forteza and Kate Valdez, together with Migo Adecer and seasoned actresses Snooky Serna and Dina Bonnevie.
Viewers also can’t wait for the highly-anticipated romantic comedy series “First Yaya.” The series is headlined by award-winning Kapuso actor Gabby Concepcion with Pancho Magno, Maxine Medina, Pilar Pilapil, Cassy Legaspi, JD Domagoso, and Sanya Lopez who plays the lead role of Yaya Melody. It follows the story of the Vice President of the Philippines (Gabby) who will later assume the presidency and his blooming romance with Yaya Melody, the nanny of his children.
Another breakthrough cultural drama series from the GMA Entertainment Group this 2021 is “Legal Wives” where Kapuso Drama King Dennis Trillo takes on the challenging role of Ishmael, a Maranaw Muslim royalty who has three wives portrayed by talented actresses Alice Dixson, Andrea Torres, and Bianca Umali. Portraying an equally important role is internationally-acclaimed actress Cherie Gil.
Talented and versatile Kapuso stars Lovi Poe and Benjamin Alves are reunited on primetime via the romantic comedy series “Owe My Love.” Produced by GMA Public Affairs, “Owe My Love” narrates the story of a financially illiterate woman and a miserly but successful doctor and financial advisor whose lives intertwine when the former gets indebted to the latter.
GMA Public Affairs is also set to bring its biggest action-adventure series to date in “Lolong.” Bannered by Kapuso Action-Drama Prince Ruru Madrid, Lolong is inspired by the world’s largest crocodile in captivity of the same name. Joining Ruru in the series are Kapuso actresses Arra San Agustin and Shaira Diaz.
Sure to keep viewers glued to the screen every weeknight is the sweeping romance drama “I Left My Heart in Sorsogon” starring Heart Evangelista-Escudero. It dwells on the story of a young woman whose status as a fashion socialite is shaken up after returning to her hometown, rediscovering her roots, and rekindling her love for family, community, and an ex-flame.
Viewers will also be delighted with the return of the exceptional and one-of-a-kind drama anthology “I Can See You” featuring the biggest and brightest Kapuso stars. This ground-breaking program pivots on its common visual storytelling mnemonic device which is the use of a camera as a witness to the tales of love and mystery from everyday people.
Other upcoming soaps to look forward to on GMA Telebabad are “To Have & To Hold,” a man searches for answers about his wife’s secret affair but soon realizes he’s falling for the spouse of his wife’s lover; “World Between Us,” a principled man gets wronged by the people he considers as family; “Love. Die. Repeat.,” a woman is stuck reliving the day of her boyfriend’s death over and over again; and “The Witness,” a man with high-functioning autism becomes a witness and a secret keeper to a crime.
On weekends, adventure awaits Kapuso viewers in the action-packed family drama “Agimat ng Agila” featuring Senator Bong Revilla Jr. together with Sanya Lopez, Roi Vinzon, Benjie Paras, Allen Dizon, Seth dela Cruz, and Elizabeth Oropesa.
GMA Network’s all-original musical competition is also set to return with “The Clash Season 4”; while the quest to find the Bida Kid is back on “Centerstage,” hosted by no less than Asia’s Multimedia Star Alden Richards and co-hosted by Betong Sumaya.
Everyday people will take on the challenge of a lifetime in “Catch Me Out Philippines,” an exciting show based on the UK original where the greatest pretender wins. It is hosted by Jose Manalo with Kakai Bautista and Derrick Monasterio.
A new breed of talented artists who can make beautiful music together are also set to be discovered in “Sing For Hearts”. In this innovative singing contest, male and female singers shall be blindly paired together to see who can create a singing love-team that will capture the hearts of the audience and the judges alike.
Viewers are also in for a treat with new program offerings from GMA News TV!
Travel back in time and have a taste of the past via the fantasy-romance series “The Lost Recipe.” The first locally produced daily primetime show on GMA News TV, “The Lost Recipe” features the fresh team up of Mikee Quintos and Kelvin Miranda who have already made a niche for themselves in their previous projects. Together, the fast-rising actors are set to make hearts flutter as they entice viewers to try the new taste of Pinoy drama.
Weekend nights are bound to get more amusing via “Flex” where Gen Z stars Mavy Legaspi, Lexi Gonzales, JD Domagoso and Althea Ablan take the spotlight to celebrate their authentic selves through comedy, music and a variety of wholesome get-together activities.
Adding magic to everyone’s TV viewing habit is “My Fantastic Pag-ibig,” which features a collection of rom-com tales set in present times but infused with fantasy elements and showcases GMA’s most promising young love teams.
Fall in love with the charming story of “Heartful Café,” which follows the life of a café owner and online romance novelist named Heart and her journey towards finding her own match. It stars Asia’s Pop Diva Julie Anne San Jose alongside David Licauco and Andre Paras.
The much-awaited on-screen team-up of real-life couple Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos is all set in the romance-mystery mini-series “Love You Stranger”. The series is about a film designer whose love for her sick mother drives her to look into the existence of a shadow figure from folklore. Her life serendipitously changes when she gets to work on a film about the said folklore with a charming young director. Their filmmaking journey leads them to discover truths about the shadow creature and each other.
Meanwhile, “Game of the Gens” fuses singing, dancing, and playing games among competitors from different generations. The fun will be amped up by hosts Andre Paras and Sef Cadayona, together with comedians and performers called GenDolls.
Kapuso viewers should also stay tuned for an exciting line-up of well-loved Asian dramas beginning with the heart-stirring Koreanovela Fates and Furies, The Romantic Doctor 2, Backstreet Rookie, Doctor John, Penthouse, Bad Genius The Series, The Gifted, The Sand Princess, and My Husband in Law; critically acclaimed local films: Family History, Jowable, Hindi Tayo Pwede, On Vodka, Beers and Regrets, Mindanao, Da Ninang, Huling Ulan sa Tag-Araw, The Missing, Coming Home, and Isa Pang Bahaghari; and blockbuster international films: A Star is Born, Crazy Rich Asians, Bumblebee, The Nun, Ocean’s 8, Mission Impossible – Fallout, Rampage, Men in Black 4, Charlie’s Angels (2019), Jumanji: The Next Level, Angry Birds Movie 2, and The Meg.
GMA Network further elevates TV viewing experience with its most recent offering, GMA Now, a mobile digital TV receiver that can be plugged into an Android phone and allows viewers to watch TV on the go for free and to enjoy a bunch of interactive features at the same time.
The Kapuso Network also extends its Serbisyong Totoo to Filipino learners across the country as it provides a free digital channel for the Department of Education’s blended learning program. DepEd TV will soon be available on GMA Affordabox’s Channel 7.
Finally, the country’s number one network returns to sports broadcasting as GMA signs a landmark deal with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Philippines’ first athletic league, for NCAA Season 96 to 101 (2020-2026). NCAA fans can soon catch the games on GMA News TV, GMA Pinoy TV, and via online streaming on GMANetwork.com. The Men’s Basketball Finals is also set to air on GMA-7.
ABS-CBN boosts digital presence
ABS-CBN continues to bolster its digital presence following the non-renewal of its broadcast franchise last year.
The company has received its second Diamond Creator Award from YouTube, solidifying its position as the country’s leading content producer for both news and entertainment on digital.
ABS-CBN News bagged last November a diamond play button, which is given to creators that reached 10 million subscribers.
It hit the mark last August and now has 11 million subscribers and over 6.7 billion lifetime views on the video-sharing platform.
ABS-CBN News’ YouTube channel houses a variety of news and current affairs content from its different news programs and platforms.
ABS-CBN first became a YouTube diamond creator in 2018 for its ABS-CBN Entertainment channel, which now has 31.6 million subscribers with over 38.8 billion lifetime views.
According to the company, ABS-CBN Entertainment is the first YouTube channel in the country to hit 30 million subscribers, the second most subscribed YouTube channel in Southeast Asia, and the 10th most watched channel in the world as of last October.
ABS-CBN Entertainment offers new episodes of ABS-CBN shows, exclusive interviews, and original digital shows on the channel.
Following the shutdown of its broadcast operations due to the non-renewal of its legislative franchise, ABS-CBN started to offer more content online to reach viewers all over the world.
This was done through Kapamilya Online Live on Facebook and YouTube, its streaming service iWantTFC, and through partnerships with other digital companies.
ABS-CBN said its digital transformation began many years ago, enabling it to establish the biggest online presence among local media companies and a growing list of digital properties.
The company said it would continue to expand its digital presence to reach as many viewers as possible while producing content that gives entertainment, inspiration and relief.
ABS-CBN went off the air on May 5 last year in compliance with a cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission following the expiration of the network’s franchise.
Last July 10, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied the network’s bid for a new franchise.
The country would keep GMA as the sole TV network.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/01/03/2067735/abs-cbn-boosts-digital-presence