MTRCB Lays Down the Law on PBB: 737

A very different ‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ awaits its viewers.

This was after the MTRCB imposed some strict guidelines to the show following complaints that it offended viewer sensibilities. Among these complaints included the controversial ‘bromance’ between 12-year old Bailey May and 18-year old Kenzo Gutierrez.

In a four-page resolution that was signed by the MTRCB, they ordered the producers of PBB: 737 to:

1. Immediately institute remedial and self-regulatory measures to ensure the protection, welfare and development of all participants, especially minors, as well as the viewing public, a sizable percentage of which is made up of minors
2. Immediately cease and desist from requiring participants to engage in activities and tasks which may be deemed hazardous to their life and safety
3. Enter into a strict and close collaborations with the Board, from July 10 until the end of the season
4. Require all story editors to undergo a ‘Matalinong Panonood’ and audience sensitivity seminar on July 16, 23 and 30 at the MTRCB office
5. Require ABS-CBN and SkyCable to place an advisory at the beginning of each episode of the three programs, stating that ‘the program may contain sensitive material’ and that ‘viewer discretion is advised’, as long as minor housemates remain present on the show
6. Elevate the rating classification of PBB: 737 Gold (aired every weekday afternoon) to ‘Strong Parental Guidance’ (SPG), with descriptions of themes, language and sex, from July 10 to the end of the season, or as long as minor housemates remain present; same rule applies to PBB: 737 on Jeepney TV
7. Limit its application for permit to exhibit to seven episodes per application in order to ensure the correct and proper implementation of the committed remedial and self-regulatory measures
8. Strictly implement a comprehensive ‘closing-out’ discussion by a subject matter expert after the completion of every task or challenge for the proper understanding of the lesson
9. Ensure all parallel broadcast of PBB: 737 in cable television and in other media, including social media, shall not be in contravention with the directives and objectives of this order

Even before the MTRCB ruling was made public, ABS-CBN has already shut down the SkyCable and iWanTV livestream of PBB: 737, citing the netizens’ irresponsibility towards the Bailey-Kenzo ‘bromance’ incident. The cancellation took effect a week prior to the meeting between the MTRCB and ABS-CBN executives.

This is not the first time that the MTRCB responded to an incident that took place inside the Big Brother house. Since the first season of ‘Pinoy Big Brother’, there have been similar obscene incidents that earned the ire of the MTRCB, the most recent of which was the nude painting task during last season’s ‘All In’.

That said, the producers of ‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ should be responsible for the way the housemates, especially those below legal age, are being treated. PBB is among the most-watched programs on Philippine TV today, and any further controversy on the show may hurt its strong viewership.

Hopefully this should serve as a lesson to all other Filipino reality shows, both current and future. After all, no one wants to be offended by something immoral.

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PBB 737 Housemates Revealed Ahead of Season Premiere

Once again, ‘Pinoy Big Brother”s unpredictable nature manifests itself.

In a buildup to the premiere of ‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’, the producers decided not to wait for the premiere to reveal this season’s cast of housemates. Instead, some of the housemates were announced during various live ABS-CBN programs.

Five new housemates have been introduced so far. They are:

Ryan Bacalla, Kid Sunshine of Cebu, 14 years old.

Bailey May, Global Gwapito of U.K., 12 years old.

Jimboy Martin, Barrio Rapper of Nueva Vizcaya, 17 years old.

Ailah Antopina, Faithful Daughter of Bacolod, 13 years old.

Kamille Filoteo, Teen Mama of Manila. 16 years old.

Two other housemates will be revealed later today, with the rest of the cast following suit in tomorrow’s season premiere.

So far, the housemates revealed for PBB: 737 were in their teens, hinting at the possibility of this season being the latest ‘teen’ edition. Last year’s ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ used a mix of teens, celebrities and regular housemates, a first in the ‘Big Brother’ franchise.

‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ will be aired every day at these times:

• Weekdays after ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’ on Kapamilya Gold
• Weeknights after ‘Aquino & Abunda Tonight’ on Primetime Bida
• Saturday nights after ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’
• Sunday nights after ‘Rated K’

PBB: 737 will also be available live and on-demand via iWanTV and on livestreaming via the ABS-CBN entertainment website. Bianca Gonzalez, Toni Gonzaga and Robi Domingo will be the hosts for this season.

‘Pinoy Big Brother: 737’ will mark the 10th anniversary of the ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ franchise.

FTT Year 2014 in Review: ABS-CBN

Another year is about to end. But before the calendar flips to 2015, here is a look back at the year that was in television and radio. This article will focus on ABS-CBN, who continued to dominate television ratings this year.

The Positives

High ratings, top trending topics, and a slew of awards. Just another impressive year on Mother Ignacia.

Primetime Bida remained ABS-CBN’s strongest suit in its weekday arsenal, led by the block’s top-rated program of the year, ‘The Legal Wife’. Meanwhile, the Kapamilya network’s reality and talent shows continued to overwhelm the opposition, led by top-raters ‘The Voice Kids’, ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ and the second season of ‘The Voice of the Philippines’.

Long-running programs ‘TV Patrol’, ‘ASAP’, ‘The Buzz’ and ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ remained at the top of their game, while ‘It’s Showtime’, ‘Gandang Gabi Vice’, and even the returning ‘Ipaglaban Mo’ became a force to be reckoned with.

ABS-CBN Sports also enjoyed an extremely successful year, starting with the launch of ABS-CBN Sports+Action in late January. High ratings during this year’s NBA Finals and the UAAP men’s basketball and women’s volleyball finals eventually led to the two leagues’ renewal of broadcast rights later this year.

The Kapamilya network’s award closet continued to grow, particularly in November’s Star Awards for Television, where ABS-CBN received a total of 34 awards. They also scored big in the Anak TV and Catholic Mass Media Awards, among other bodies.

The Negatives

Not all news is good, however. ABS-CBN also endured some missteps throughout the year, all of which made a significant impact on the network’s performance.

While Primetime Bida dominated primetime, they also had a fair share of busts. Julia Barretto’s acting debut as ‘Mirabella’ failed to impress, while the reboot of ‘Dyesebel’ and ‘Sana Bukas Pa ang Kahapon’ never lived up to expectations.

‘Be Careful with My Heart’ may have dominated the headlines in 2013, but it was a different story in 2014. The show’s ratings declined for much of the year, before rebounding on the show’s final episode on November 28.

The last two quarters of 2014 saw the decline in quality of Kapamilya Gold. The network’s last two afternoon soaps, ‘Galema: Anak ni Zuma’ and ‘Moon of Desire’, were replaced by a combination of Asianovela reruns, ‘Bet on Your Baby’, the ill-fated ‘Ana Manuela’, and ‘Kapamilya Blockbusters’, a sign that ABS-CBN is letting GMA dominate the afternoon slot.

Speaking of reruns, ABS-CBN brought back the highly successful ‘Meteor Garden’ to rave reviews. Later reruns of Asianovelas and even classic Japanese cartoons such as ‘Princess Sarah’ proved unsuccessful, however.

Controversy hounded ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ from the moment the mostly celebrity cast was selected all the way to late-coming housemate Daniel Matsunaga’s victory. It also spelled doom for ‘It’s Showtime’ hosts Vhong Navarro (beaten by Cedric Lee’s group) and Billy Crawford (post-Star Magic Ball fiasco), thus continuing the infamous curse.

And finally, ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs had its own share of problems. February saw a questionable report on ‘Bandila’ regarding a ‘flesh-eating disease’ in Pangasinan, and then several months later, ‘TV Patrol’ anchor Korina Sanchez made an unnecessary remark about Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby), praying that the storm would swerve to Japan.

Outlook

Fortunately for the Kapamilya network, Marc Logan kept things light and loose when his show, ‘Mga Kwento ni Marc Logan’, premiered last August. But seriously, this was another successful year for ABS-CBN, even with the problems and controversies surrounding it.

Looking ahead, a reunion between Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin looms in ‘Flordeliza’, even as ‘Pangako sa ‘Yo’ will have its own reboot with Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla. This and a lot more will come as the calendar turns to 2015.

Nino, Secret Love Bow Out

‘Nino’, along with ‘Secret Love’, will end their runs this week on GMA Telebabad. (Photo credit: GMA Network)

Two GMA Telebabad programs will bid farewell within the next two days.

First up is ‘Secret Love’, whose finale will air later tonight. The Koreanovela premiered on July 14 and was one of GMA Telebabad’s stronger-performing programs.

Starring Ji Sung as Dominic, Hwang Jung Eum as Elise, and Bae Soo Bin as Howard, ‘Secret Love’ focused on Dominic’s obsession and eventual romance with Elise amid the latter’s involvement in the killing of Dominic’s girlfriend. The series also saw how Elise willingly accused herself of the crime for the sake of her then-boyfriend Howard, after which he called off their relationship and humiliated her.

During its two-month run, ‘Secret Love’ competed well against the likes of ‘Aquino & Abunda Tonight’, ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ and ‘Miss Ripley’ on ABS-CBN. The Asianovela averaged at least 15% on AGB Nielsen’s national ratings, and at least 7% on Kantar.

No replacement will be made for ‘Secret Love’, since ‘I Hear Your Voice’, the Kapuso network’s supposed successor Asianovela, premiered last month while the former was still airing.

Meanwhile, ‘Nino’ and his Naynay Commandments will officially end their run tomorrow.

The teleserye starring Miguel Tanfelix premiered on May 26, replacing ‘Carmela’ while dislodging ‘Kambal Sirena’ out of its original timeslot. Despite its value-oriented nature, ‘Nino’ had an up-and-down run, as reflected by the AGB Nielsen and Kantar ratings.

‘Nino’ had a slow start against ‘Dyesebel’ in the AGB Nielsen ratings, but managed to pick up steam as the latter drew to a close. The series continued to win over viewers even after ‘Hawak Kamay’ took ‘Dyesebel”s timeslot on July 21, and should finish with an average of 22% by the end of its run.

But on Kantar’s count, ‘Nino’ performed badly against both ‘Dyesebel’ and ‘Hawak Kamay’. A 17% average for ‘Nino’ and a -10% disparity against rival ABS-CBN teleseryes should be a cause of concern for GMA management, even as ABS-CBN endured a slight decline in the ratings of their aforementioned programs.

Overall, ‘Nino’ was a decently good teleserye, but not as revered as the likes of ‘May Bukas Pa’, ‘100 Days to Heaven’, and ‘Honesto’ on the Kapamilya network. And with GMA becoming infamous for producing merely filler teleseryes that have shorter timespans, ‘Nino”s near five-month run is just another example of why GMA is resorting to this tactic with little results.

Replacing ‘Nino’ on its timeslot will be ‘Strawberry Lane’, another family drama starring Bea Binene, Kim Rodriguez, Joyce Ching, Joanna Marie Tan, and Rita de Guzman. The series, which centers on five juvenile girls seeking a new direction in life, will premiere on September 15.

 

New Projects for Former Pinoy Big Brother: All In Housemates

Upcoming projects on ABS-CBN await the likes of Jane Oineza and the other ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’ housemates. (Photo credit: ABS-CBN)

Sam Milby, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Jason Gainza, Melai Cantiveros, and Jason Francisco.

These are just some of the former ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ housemates that went on to become established players in the Star Magic roster. And just like in previous years, there are new opportunities that await the latest batch of PBB housemates.

Immediately after ‘Pinoy Big Brother: All In’, ABS-CBN decided to give several of its housemates acting projects. These projects were first unveiled in a recent Kapamilya All Out trade concert.

Jane Oineza, ‘All In”s third-placer, is given a lead role on the upcoming teleserye ‘Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita’. The ‘Goin’ Bulilit’ alum is no stranger to lead acting roles, having been nominated in the 2013 New York Festival for her portrayal of a rape victim in an episode of ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’.

Fellow housemates Joshua Garcia (‘All In’ sixth-placer) and Loisa Andalo (‘All In’ fifth placer) will join Jane in the upcoming series.

Twins Fourth (‘All In’ ninth-placer) and Fifth Pagotan (‘All In’ eighth-placer) were also given an upcoming project via the series ‘Nathaniel’. The twins will play supporting roles to the series’ up-and-coming child actor, whose name is yet to be determined.

As for grand winner Daniel Matsunaga, he has yet to commit to a long-term deal with ABS-CBN’s Star Magic. However, a lineup of projects outside ABS-CBN await the long-time freelancer.

In a recent interview, Matsunaga indicated that he will star in two upcoming films, one of which will be the latest sequel to the Metro Manila Film Festival mainstay ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll’.

And for the rest of the ‘All In’ housemates, there are other opportunities to explore. In fact, the doors of GMA Network will always be open to former housemates who look to become the next Tom Rodriguez and Sam Pinto.

That said, there will be always be life after ‘Pinoy Big Brother’. And who knows what will happen next.

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.