The globalization of pop culture has seen Filipino audiences going gaga over juvenile soap operas from Taiwan, action-packed animé from Japan, and sappy telenovelas from South America.
But a remarkable twist could just make the Philippines Asia’s favorite source of mass-produced television entertainment, with its fast-paced and technically-polished soap operas now leaving Latin imports biting the dust in the race to dominate the ratings.
The first to take advantage of this extraordinary development is ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., the country’s largest broadcast network, which has, in fact, begun exporting its top-rating soap operas to other countries in Southeast Asia and beyond as part of a corporate strategy to expand its market and find new sources of revenue.
“These shows are being marketed not only in Asia but Eastern Europe, South America and Africa as well,” says Cory Vidanes, ABS-CBN’s senior vice-president for television production.
Following the huge success of Mexican telenovelas and Taiwanese chinovelas in the Philippines, and with the increased globalization in Asia, she says the time is ripe for ABS-CBN to go regional and, eventually, global. A new company, ABS-CBN International Inc., has been created to handle the network’s expansion overseas.
“ABS-CBN International has been in various countries in the region as well as the world and there was an obvious demand for Filipino programs among the overseas Filipinos. The next natural step would be to cater not only to the Filipinos abroad but also to tap the potential viewers in each region,” Vidanes explains.
She adds that the network’s venture abroad taps the synergies created by ABS-CBN International, the only one with a focused international agenda in the Philippines, and ABS-CBN Broadcasting, which has the technical and talent capability to produce world-class shows for the international market.
$1m within 2 years
ABS-CBN’s soap operas, also known as teleseryes, not only dominate the ratings weeknights on primetime. Already, the earlier ones are also giving their Latin American counterparts a run for their money in the international market, each earning for the network at least $1 million in additional revenues in only one to two years.
The late-1990s soap “Mula Sa Puso,” which starred the late Rico Yan and Claudine Barretto, was aired by Radio Television (RTV) Malaysia and an Indonesian TV network last year.
Another popular telenovela, “Pangako Sa ‘Yo,” which featured Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa, has been airing in RTV Malaysia for two months now, as well as in a pay TV channel.
Reena Garingan, ABS-CBN’s director for international sales and distribution, says these soaps have become so popular with Malaysian audiences that RTV Malaysia has already ordered the next Filipino telenovela that will replace “Pangako” when it ends its run in October.
“In fact, they’re planning an entire line of Filipino soaps in the next two years,” Garingan adds.
ABS-CBN has also made interesting inroads in Africa. “Pangako,” a story of two lovers torn apart by the young man’s cruel and ambitious mother, will also start airing in Kenya on Oct. 1. These telenovelas are either dubbed in the local
language or subtitled in English when aired in other countries.
Garingan says ABS-CBN is finalizing negotiations on two new soaps – “Bituin” starring Nora
Aunor and “Kaytagal Kitang Hinintay” featuring Lorna Tolentino – and the series “Maalaala Mo Kaya” with TV networks in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. “Kaytagal” still airs weeknights
on primetime.
manila,philippines
