Saturdays have been a source of frustration for GMA.
Once again, the Kapuso network decided to make a change in their Sabado Star Power afternoon lineup. Gone was ‘Laff, Camera, Action’, and in came ‘#Like’, the newest reality talent show hosted by Tom Rodriguez and internet sensation Balang.
‘#Like’ is a talent show featuring online sensations battling against each other in a barangay setting. To the surprise of no one, it is just another concept produced by the GMA Public Affairs team, whose penchant for producing non-news shows becomes more infectious and more criticized than ever.
The premiere of ‘#Like’ took place last September 3, but instead of replacing ‘Laff, Camera, Action’ on its 4:30 timeslot, GMA decided to air the said show after ‘Eat Bulaga’. As a result, this is the how the schedule looks like:
- 2:30 p.m. – #Like
- 3:00 p.m. – Karelasyon
- 4:00 p.m. – Wish Ko Lang
- 5:00 p.m. – Imbestigador
However, the change did little to improve the ratings. All four of GMA’s post-‘Eat Bulaga’ afternoon programs were on the losing end, with ‘Wish Ko Lang’ the least impressive at 9.4%.
Let’s face it, would’ve been better for ‘#Like’ to go up against ‘Mga Kwento ni Marc Logan’ instead of the last half-hour of ‘It’s Showtime’? Probably, given that Marc Logan’s show also features internet sensations and GMA would’ve loved to see that matchup.
Still, GMA had no regrets in making the change once again. However, they would have been better off if ‘Wish Ko Lang’ and ‘Imbestigador’ were to be cancelled, since they are no longer the same programs as they once were.
Meanwhile, another new program premiered last Saturday on the said network. The new show, ‘Superstar Duets’, replaced ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’, whose run finally ended after seven months.
Based on the format alone, ‘Superstar Duets’ appears to be the second coming of ‘Celebrity Duets’, except that the celebrities in the show were paired alongside impersonators of foreign singers. The show is currently hosted by Jennylyn Mercado, with Allan K, Aicelle Santos and Christian Bautista serving as judges.
The premiere of ‘Superstar Duets’ didn’t quite impress many, as it earned a 13.2% rating. On the other hand, ‘Pinoy Big Brother Lucky Season 7’ fared much better with a 16.4% rating.
This is going to be a tough battle as far as ‘Superstar Duets’ were concerned. Though it has the potential to run just as long as ‘Lip-Sync Battle Philippines’ did, the possibility of winning remains tricky at best.
From the Tube 
What I noticed with GMA in this era is that they lack the usual TV specials, grand finals of talent competitions and variety shows during weekends. No spectacle at all. Instead the network is placing an over-saturated comedy shows in the weekend time-slot. This makes me think that the network is not stretching its muscles enough to provide us TV viewers with balanced programming during weekends.
A lot of it has to do with poor management. Let’s face it, Lilybeth Rasonable was a bad leader. It was under her leadership that GMA’s programming went from bad to worse, especially on weekends where they couldn’t really contend with the talent/reality shows of ABS. Heck, even the most recent season of StarStruck failed to exceed expectations. It’s truly a harsh reality for the folks in Timog.
As a brand I still believe that GMA is a strong force. They have a great pool of talents and award winning news division. The frustrating part is that the network seemed to have lost its spark failing to innovate and take risk and use the strength of their artists and talents. Even die hard Kapuso viewers notice this. We are particularly critical on their weekend programming because these are the days that viewers are at home most of the time.
Indeed. And come to think of it, their more recent reality/talent shows proved to be unimpressive, that’s why they’re scared to create another one because of past failure. I was not really that happy with the way they promoted both Bet ng Bayan and To the Top, especially the latter which was produced by GMA Public Affairs (a bad move indeed).
#LIKE. Produced by GMA Public Affairs. DISASTER IN THE MAKING.
It’s official. Entertainment programs produced by GMA Public Affairs na walang gaanong historical value will be considered as potential ratings disaster.
Too late the hero na ang GMA Public Affairs. Tagasalba ng kapalpakan ng GMA Entertainment. Just merge GMA Entertainment and GMANPA into one.
Come to think of it, parang hinalong Game ng Bayan at Mga Kwento ni Marc Logan ang #Like. And since it’s just another production of the GMAPA group, it’s truly a clear sign na binu-blur na ang linya between entertainment and public affairs. Parang WWE na ang ginagawa ng GMA with regards to their entertainment and news divisions.
At least WWE knows their core audience. Kaya kahit mababa viewership nila sa US, the product is still entertaining and watchable. Unlike sa situation ng GMA, walang suitable na audience ang mga shows na gawang GMAPA. It’s now called News-entertainment and it didn’t work, in short it flopped bigtime. That is why ABS is kicking their ass in terms of multimedia. And I may not be surprise if someone will buy the stakes of GMA.
Indeed. GMA doesn’t have a clue on how to target their audience. Their obsession to be No. 1 is out of control.
A plug that features GMA’s new Saturday afternoon lineup is released.
There isn’t much to say about that. Wish Ko Lang and Imbestigador needs to be cancelled because the change to a more dramatic approach doesn’t make sense given they’re public affairs shows. It really shows how poorly planned GMA is right now.
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