The End of CelebriTV?

Tomorrow afternoon could be the last time ‘CelebriTV’ will ever air on GMA.

The official teaser released today (see below) gave no indication that it will be the final episode for the GMA talk show. But as GMA announced the premiere date and timeslot for ‘Laff, Camera, Action’ (May 28, every Saturday afternoon), it was clear that the network has no choice but to close the curtain on ‘CelebriTV’.

‘CelebriTV’ first premiered on September 19, 2015, with Joey de Leon, Lolit Solis and Ai-ai de las Alas as hosts. It replaced ‘Startalk’, who had been on the air for 20 years but whose ratings were on the decline due to changing preferences in showbiz news reporting.

Originally, ‘CelebriTV’ was tagged as the weekly ‘trend-tertainment news’ and ‘comedy talk show’. Soon after, however, game show elements were added, possibly in an attempt to curb the increasing ratings of ABS-CBN game shows ‘Celebrity Playtime’ and ‘Family Feud’.

It backfired, and ‘CelebriTV’, like the final few years of ‘Startalk’, stumbled in the ratings. Not even a brief timeslot switch with ‘Imbestigador’ helped matters.

Overall, ‘CelebriTV’ will have a total of 35 episodes and eight months to its resume. Considering its performance, it was not bad, but it was not impressive either.

The truth is, showbiz talk shows are no longer viable. ABS-CBN knew what was coming when they finally pulled the plug on ‘The Buzz’ last year, however, GMA insisted that they are still worth watching, which is why they decided to create ‘CelebriTV’ in an attempt to revive its declining appeal.

Unfortunately, it didn’t, and GMA painfully realized it. Now they have no choice but to say goodbye to the format that once infiltrated the airwaves for several decades.

So come this Saturday, sit back, watch and enjoy what could be the curtain call for ‘CelebriTV’. It’s going to be a fun farewell, even if it will not make an impact in the ratings.

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In 150 Words: Imbestigador and CelebriTV Switch Timeslots

GMA is switching timeslots for ‘Imbestigador’ and ‘CelebriTV’ this coming Saturday.

Caught off-guard by ABS-CBN’s most recent timeslot change on their Saturday schedule, GMA decided to change the timeslots of ‘Imbestigador’ and ‘CelebriTV’. As a result, the former will now air at 4:00 p.m., while the latter will air at 5:00 p.m.

This means that ‘Imbestigador’ will once again face ‘SOCO: Scene of the Crime Operatives’, while ‘CelebriTV’ will be up against ‘Celebrity Playtime’ and ‘Mga Kwento ni Marc Logan’. As it stands, ‘Imbestigador”s newest timeslot is now the earliest in the program’s 15-year history, having started as a primetime show early in its tenure.

Much like GMA’s most recent revamp of its weekday schedule, this decision only enhances GMA’s recent reputation as a ‘you lead and I follow’ network. Whatever move ABS-CBN makes, GMA seems to have a response, and that is not good for a network that is trying to rebound this year.

UPDATE: The scheduling change for ‘Imbestigador’ and ‘CelebriTV’ will take effect on February 27.