I Do and Other Programming Changes on ABS-CBN

Following the conclusion of ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’, a few changes were made on ABS-CBN’s programming.

The most significant of these changes will come this weekend, as ‘I Do’, dubbed the first ‘realiserye’ on the Kapamilya network, premieres this Saturday. Hosted by Judy Ann Santos, the upcoming reality program will feature nine couples with an existing relationship, all of which will vie for a P1 million cash prize, a house and lot, and a grand wedding.

Joining Juday in the upcoming series will be co-host Jason Gainza, along with life coach Pia Acevedo and marriage counselor Dr. Julian Montano.

The nine couples will reside in the ‘I Do’ village in Cavite, where they will undergo a series of challenges that will test their ability to forge a strong relationship. The council, led by Acevedo and Dr. Montano, will evaluate and decide the fate of each couple at the end of each challenge, while fan votes will determine the winner of the aforementioned prizes at the end of the series.

‘I Do’ will air every Saturday after ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’, and every Sunday after ‘Rated K’.

Weekday Programming Changes on ABS-CBN

Both ‘Kapamilya Gold’ and ‘Primetime Bida’ entered Monday with a different look after PBB ended.

On ‘Kapamilya Gold’, the lineup was reduced to only three programs, and as a result, the telenovela ‘Ana Manuela’ extended its running time to compensate for the departure of ‘PBB Uber’.

‘Ana Manuela’ will now air two episodes per day, and will be seen after ‘It’s Showtime’ and before the News and Current Affairs block.

Over at ‘Primetime Bida’, the Koreanovela ‘Miss Ripley’ took over the slot vacated by ‘PBB Primetime’. The entry of ‘Miss Ripley’ marked the return of the Koreanovela to ABS-CBN’s primetime lineup after over seven months of airing reality programs.

Starring Lee Da Hae (of ‘My Girl’ fame) as the seductive yet manipulative Emily, and Park Yoo Chun (of ‘Rooftop Prince’ fame) as the handsome and rich hotelier Marco, ‘Miss Ripley’ airs after ‘Aquino and Abunda Tonight’.

Speaking of Koreanovelas, the re-run of ‘Lovers in Paris’ is now on its final week. The second of a series of classic ABS-CBN Asianovelas to re-air on the network will end its run Friday morning.

Also concluding on Friday morning is the latest season of ‘The Singing Bee’. The highly-rated game show, hosted by Roderick Paulate and Amy Perez, will take a bow after a successful ten-month run.

Both programs’ timeslots will be taken over by the delayed telecast of the FIBA World Cup starting next week.

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The Return of the Telenovela to Philippine Free TV

Telenovelas, or the more distinguishable term Latinovelas, are making a comeback to free TV in the Philippines.

The genre, once dominant in the afternoon and evening drama blocks of the major networks, were essentially an endangered species once ‘Meteor Garden’ and other Asianovelas began to invade the small screen. Then in late 2011, the Telenovela Channel was introduced, giving dramas from Latin America a new lease on life.

Since the creation of the Telenovela Channel, several free TV networks have attempted to resuscitate the fading popularity of the telenovela. In 2013, GMA aired the Colombian series ‘Lola’ (or ‘Bella Calamidades’) . Unfortunately for the Kapuso network, low ratings forced the management to stop airing the telenovela before it can be finished.

Also that same year, Studio 23 (now ABS-CBN Sports+Action) aired the original version of the hit ABS-CBN teleserye ‘Nasaan Ka, Elisa?’. Titled ‘Donde Esta Elisa?’, the original series aired during the first half of 2013.

Then in June of this year, IBC-13 and Asian Television Content Corporation aired ‘The Two Sides of Ana’ and ‘La Teniente’ on the ‘ATC @ IBC’ block. Unlike GMA’s unexpected pullout of ‘Lola’, both IBC and ATC were more than willing to finish both series, despite their low ratings in a competitive primetime environment.

Two months later, ABS-CBN decided to bring the telenovela back to their lineup. The Brazilian drama ‘Ana Manuela’, scheduled to air starting August 18, will be the network’s first telenovela since ‘Frijolito’ in 2011.

While ABS-CBN has enjoyed ratings success over the past couple of years, the reintroduction of the telenovela is considered to be their biggest gamble yet. Nevertheless, the network hopes that ‘Ana Manuela’, like the other programs on ‘Kapamilya Gold’, will perform very well in the ratings.

The telenovela, once considered endangered on free TV thanks to Asianovelas, are relevant once again. Now the question is, how long will they remain in the minds of the viewers? Only time will tell.

Upcoming Asianovelas on ABS-CBN and GMA

Expect new Asianovelas to air on both ABS-CBN and GMA.

GMA’s newest Koreanovela ‘I Hear Your Voice’ makes its debut later tonight on the Telebabad block. The new series will air after ‘Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real’ and before fellow Koreanovela ‘Secret Love’.

In a surprise twist, GMA decided to add a second teleserye on the Telebabad block instead of waiting for one of them to end. As a result, Telebabad now has a total of six drama series, two of which are from Korea, compared to only four on the currently all-local ABS-CBN Primetime Bida.

And when was the last time two Asianovelas were on primetime on the Kapuso network? That was several years ago, when GMA was at the peak of its powers thanks to its mix of fantaseryes and Koreanovelas. Now GMA hopes to replicate that with a double serving of Asianovelas on Telebabad.

Pretty Man and Miss Ripley on ABS-CBN

Over at ABS-CBN, the re-run on ‘My Girl’ is entering its final week. The Koreanovela ends its run on Friday afternoon, to be replaced by a new Koreanovela titled ‘Pretty Man’ beginning August 18.

Then on August 25, ‘Miss Ripley’ will make its way into the ABS-CBN lineup, with its timeslot yet to be determined.

After several months of re-airing old Asianovelas, ABS-CBN has decided to start fresh. Thus, two new series from Korea were imported by the Kapamilya network in order to appease its legion of Asianovela fanatics.

But perhaps the biggest question mark for the Kapamilya network now is to whether or not bring back the Asianovela to Primetime Bida. Before ‘The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition: Doubles’ and ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ occupied the final slot of the said block, the last time an Asianovela aired on Primetime Bida was ‘When a Man Falls in Love’, and its finale was nearly eight months ago.

Kapamilya fans should hope for the best. After all, Asianovelas on ABS-CBN deserve a piece of the primetime spotlight.

To both stations, good luck in giving Asianovela fans a series to remember.