Rising from the ashes like a true phoenix, ABS-CBN navigated its post-shutdown journey with grace and with flying colors.
Following its controversial franchise denial, in 2020, ABS-CBN charted unprecedented success, and proved it can thrived even without a franchise. From phenomenal love teams to record-breaking OPM stars, to recapturing box office crown, ABS-CBN did not only survive its new era, but also, and more amazingly, flourished like no other media company, has ever done before.
Phenomenal Love Teams and Talent Discoveries.
Front and center in this spectacular renaissance, is the rise of new onscreen team-ups, that redefined the world of love teams and fandoms. DonBelle, composed of vibrant young actors, Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan, soared in popularity, their fandom becoming one of the most active on social media. After starring in their own web series, He’s Into Her, which achieved unprecedented streaming success, they proceeded to starring more successful projects, including movies, ‘Love is Color Blind’, and ‘An Inconvenient Love’. Last year, their first full-length primetime series, Can’t Buy Me Love, debuted on Primetime Bida. Ending its phenomenal run on free TV, the series managed to break several post-shutdown high TV ratings, proving they are a love team to beat. Their rise to super stardom is a testament to ABS-CBN’s knack for pairing talents, and creating phenomenal tandems from them.
KimPau, featuring Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino, proved that even stars in their 30s can still pull off love teams, the way younger talents do. Making waves with their dynamic performances, KimPau captured streaming and television viewers like no other, logging record-breaking viewers on both media. Like Can’t Buy Me Love, their Prime Video series, Linlang, made a sensational television run, pulling off a couple of post-shutdown high ratings, and consistently beating its timeslot rival at GMA Network. KimPau’s incredible rise to immensive fame is again proof to ABS-CBN’s heavyweight status, in discovering new onscreen pairs the public would go gaga for.
Also a massive and delightful surprise, is the team-up of talented actors, Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings. After taking local TV viewers by storm, with their roles in Can’t Buy Me Love, the two are now set to star their own movies, and more subsequent projects are underway. Known for their versatility across various genres, Racal and Jennings proved ABS-CBN can further solidify its reputation for nurturing multi-faceted talents.
Emerging talents such as Kaila Estrada, Daniela Stranner, Miggy Jimenez, and more, have received high praise for their exemplary portrayals, showcasing ABS-CBN’s commitment to bringing fresh faces to the limelight. ABS-CBN’s knack for discovering ultra-talented child stars are well-exemplified by the discovery of the likes of Kulot, Jaze, and Argus, who are slated to headline the returning Goin Bulilit.
BINI, Maki and more: PPOP Supremacy
Taking the whole music industry by storm, and achieving unprecedented milestones, BINI is a screaming testament to determination, perseverance, and grit. After three years of making small but proud strides, the group got catapulted to phenomenal success this year, riding on the immense popularity of their record-breaking hits, Pantropiko, Salamin, Salamin, among others. Recently, the group took down global recording superstar, Taylor Swift, as the most streamed artist on Spotify Philippines, pulling off an unpredecented record no other OPM artist has ever achieved.
Similarly, the rise of indie star, Maki, is a spectacle on its own. Now with over 5 million monthly listeners, Maki has been dominating local Spotify charts, with his recent hit ‘Dilaw’ occupying the no.1 spot, among local tracks on Spotify.
Through ABS-CBN’s efforts to nurture promising local performers, the music industry has seen the ascent of incredible new talents, including BINI, BGYO, Angela Ken, Maki, among others.
Record-breaking and Award-winning Films.
Proving it remains the box office heavyweight it has always been, ABS-CBN’s film production arm, Star Cinema (and its subsidiaries), made wonders this year with Rewind, whose more than ₱1 billion box office gross, is completely unheard-of. It became the highest grossing Filipino film of all time, and allowed its lead stars, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes, earned their Phenomenal Box Office star title.
Not only did Star Cinema movies dominated the box office, it also made waves at the awarding scene, earning top accolades from leading award-giving bodies in the country. Kathryn Bernardo won her first FAMAS Best Actress Award, for her terrific perfomance in the dark comedy, A Very Good Girl, while Charlie Dizon took home the Best Actress trophy from Gawad Urian, for her portrayal in Third World Romance.
Top-rating TV shows.
Despite still airing with limited free TV coverage, some ABS-CBN dramas, miraculously topped rating charts, giving their Kapuso counterparts a run for their money. After the record-breaking success of Ang Probinsyano, Coco Martin proved he remains the legitimate Philippine Primetime King, with the phenomenal success of Batang Quiapo, which continues today to top all TV programs in the country.
The record-breaking people ratings logged by recently-ended shows, like Can’t Buy Me Love and Linlang: The Teleserye Version, is a proof to ABS-CBN’s being a teleserye powerhouse, and to its rising reputation as a leading content creator and provider in the country.
Unprecedented Collaborations.
ABS-CBN has stunned industry observers with the partnerships it forged, after it got denied of a new broadcast franchise. Not only did it transform into a full-fledged content creation company, it has made surprising collaborations with its former rivals, TV5, and GMA Network. This year, its flagship noontime program, It’s Showtimee, made its debut on GMA’s main channel, and has since then dominated the ratings game. ABS-CBN Studios programs are what making the primetime blocks of free-to-air channels, TV5 and A2Z, alive, while the network’s new collaboration with Manny Villar’s ALLTV, brings hope for an expanded audience.
ABS-CBN may no longer be a TV station, but one can’t deny it continues to change the local television landscape. As it continues to innovate and break barriers, it will continue to create wonders, and serve as a beacon of hope and artistic creativity in the industry,
