The Gabby Concepcion-Sanya Lopez tandem may be poised to reign GMA network’s post-24 Oras slot again, but a stronger FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano won’t easily bow.
Four months into celebrating its sixth anniversary, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano will go head-to-head with its 21st rival show from GMA Network.
The upcoming bout sees the longest-running action-drama going head-to-head again with the Gabby Concepcion and Sanya Lopez team-up, which reigned supreme in the rating game, last year. First Lady, the sequel to the massively successful First Yaya peaked with a 24% people rating, according to TV rating provider, AGB Nielsen.
Since First Yaya’s finale in July 2021, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano has sustained the competition with three more Kapuso series. The Coco Martin-starrer went against Alden Richards-led The World Between Us, the Dennis Trillo-starred Legal Wives, and just recently, the Heart Evangelista-starrer, I Left My Heart in Sorsogon.
There are expectations that First Lady will duplicate its predecessor’s success in the rating game, and the show’s pretty much in shape to not disappoint.
It’s worth noting, however, that even FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano has made significant improvements in the past few months (in terms of viewership strength). The show finally zoomed back to being the number one drama on Philippine television, on February 1, and went on to maintain its victorious streak for two more episodes.
First Lady faced challenges by fewer television viewers. The rise of streaming platforms and ABS-CBN’s partner TV channels–as it continues to undermine GMA Network’s free TV dominance.
FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano is also unfazed online, with record-breaking concurrent live viewership under its belt. The show recently surged past 173,000 live viewers on Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube, and it set a new record on the platform.
With First Lady that debuted on February 14, Monday, the six-year-old action-drama faced its 21st rival show on GMA Network.
This match is undoubtedly more interesting than the previous ones, as it will prove whether Concepcion and Lopez still have the charm to raise GMA Network’s consistently declining primetime viewership.
As for FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, the pressure to prove itself is much lower now, and it has nothing to lose even though its rival show will keep its grip on the number one spot. It has online to rule, anyway.
FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano airs after TV Patrol on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z Channel 11, and after Niña Niño on TV5, while First Lady airs after 24 Oras on GMA-7 and GTV.
