The quest to dominate daytime television gets most intense in the pre-noontime and noon time slots of the leading TV networks in the country.
In a few weeks, the pre-noontime and noontime slots of TV5, A2Z, and GMA Network get louder than they were, in at least two years, as the comes finally a real sense of competition between these rival networks’ noontime shows.
On Saturday, July 16, ABS-CBN teams up with A2Z and TV5, in bringing the back-to-back collaboration of former rival shows. Lunch Out Loud and It’s Showtime. The Brightlight Productions-produced Kapatid noontime show, Lunch Out Loud, moves to an 11 am slot, to accommodate It’s Showtime’s debut on TV5. The 12-year-old Kapamilya show takes the 12:45-3 pm slot.
The collaboration is crucial for both noontime programs, as they are both to expand to more viewers nationwide. It’s Showtime will be finally available to many Filipino viewers, especially in former Kapamilya bailiwicks. That’s the same advantage that will be afforded to Lunch Out Loud, which will now also air on both A2Z Channel 11 and Kapamilya Channel.
Lunch Out Loud and It’s Showtime took turns in becoming the second most watched noontime program in the country, behind the four-decade Eat Bulaga. The back-to-back collaboration is expected to benefit the Kapamilya noontime show more, but Lunch Out Loud is likewise expected to improve in viewership.
It is worth noting that the current hosting staff of both shows is linked with each other, one way or another. Billy Crawford and one of Lunch Out Loud’s former hosts, K Brosas, came from ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime. Alex Gonzaga, Bayani Agbayani, and Wackly Kiray, were all Kapamilya talents, prior to moving ti TV5.
It’s Showtime and Vice Ganda have long been teasing for its so-called ‘biggest plot twist’; it is not surprising that its official entry into TV5’s programming is considered by a lot of fans, to be that long-awaited twist.
Lunch Out Loud, could potentially face a stronger rival, however, as GMA Network debuts a new pre-noontime variety show, just a week behind its A2Z and Kapamilya Channel premiere. TickToClock, the new show hosted by Kim Atienza, Pokwang, and Rabiya Mateo, takes the 11:15 am slot, which means LOL will be dealing with the Kapuso show for 45 minutes. The new Kapuso variety program features time-limited segments, buzzer-beater performances, and various interactive games and surprises. Interestingly, both Pokwang and Kuya Kim are former ABS-CBN talents. Kuya Kim is in fact, a former It’s Showtime host, the same way LOL’s Billy Crawford also is.
Now poised to reach more audiences via TV5’s wider national coverage, It’s Showtime is set to carry on its quest to take Eat Bulaga’s leadership in TV ratings, with a renewed vigor, and of course, a bigger reach. It will be interesting to find out, if TV5 will be enough to help It’s Showtime finally reclaim its domination of the noon time slot, especially now that Eat Bulaga has already lost half of its pre-pandemic viewership.
Which of these shows are you planning to see on Saturday, July 16, and in the weeks that follow? Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section.
