“The afternoon teleserye that tramples the heavyweight in daytime programming.”
Who would have thought that the mighty noontime show whose appeal, dominance and influence spans decades, will be trampled by an untested pairing in a usual afternoon teleserye.
Yes, “Ika-6 Na Utos” did that, dethroning long-time daytime leader “Eat Bulaga!”. But what does this cliche storied teleserye got to achieve that privilege of reducing “Eat Bulaga!” to the runner-up position?
The slow and steady run.
“Ika-6 Na Utos” had a slow but steady climb to the top. When it premiered on December 5, 2016, there was no indication that it can assault the top spot. Averaging in the 6th and 7th position, one can assume it will be just an ordinary afternoon drama that GMA produced to rival ABS-CBN.
But on January 13, 2017, the teledrama showed signs of what its future would look like when it tested rocking the daytime leadership as it ended up on top of the board with 16.2% beating “Eat Bulaga!’s” 15.6%.
And indeed that January 13 sign was correct because while “Ika-6 Na Utos” went back to its usual ranking in the succeeding days, the big thing happened on February 1, 2017 when “Ika-6 Na Utos” finally took the daytime throne for good.
Starting February 1, 2017 up until the latest rating’s data from AGB Nielsen NUTAM showed “Ika-6 Na Utos” continue to enjoy its position on top of the daytime programming.
Kanter Media also reported the same with “Ika-6 Na Utos” also slaying “Eat Bulaga!” in the rating’s board.
The tested “Kabit-serye” formula
Aside from the slowly but surely attack to the daytime leadership board, “Ika-6 Na Utos” possess the tested and effective “Kabit-serye” formula.
While it may be a taboo before in Philippine television, the adultery/mistress concept has gained traction and became a tested hit formula in teleseryes.
Who can forget Marian Rivera’s “Temptation of Wife” which was the local adaptation of the hit Korean series? I believe that teledrama started the trend of Kabit-serye in the country.
Aside from “Temptation of Wife”, another hit kabit-serye was the controversial yet successful “My Husband’s Lover “which gave rise to the TomDen ‘love-team’.
And from ABS-CBN, Angel Locsin and Maja Salvador’s “The Legal Wife” was another huge success for a “Kabit-serye”.
Monica (Angel’s character) and Nicole (Maja’s character) has become a household name not to mention their lines which up until now is being used in meme and jokes.
The same holds with Kaye Abad and Erich Gonzales’ “Two Wives”, which also left big marks in the every pinoy viewers.
Eat Bulaga!’s losing appeal
And as they say, it takes two to tango.
“Ika-6 Na Utos'” victory cannot be attributed solely to its controversial hit theme but also to the dwindling popularity of the Dabarkads of “Eat Bulaga!”.
From the start of the year until now which is equivalent to continues 6 months of “Ika-6 Na Utos'” dominance, “Eat Bulaga!” was struggling to regain its losing charm.
After the phenomenal hype of their Kalyeserye, “Eat Bulaga’s” viewership seemed heading down the brink, same as how many people seemed to forget the time when AlDub is the only name and people on Philippine television.
“Ika-6 Na Utos” could also thank “It’s Showtime” because its gains in viewership meant loss for “Eat Bulaga!” making it possible for “Ika-6 Na Utos” to get past the noon time show and former daytime programming leader.
To cap it off, “Ika-6 Na Utos'” journey is an example of putting all the right ingredients while cooking it in low fire. It may take a while until the dish is cooked but the result will be delicious.
Just like what happened to its climb to the top, it uses the cliche formula of adultery and mistress story while carefully and steadily enticing viewers. And the outcome, a victory not only delicious but such great achievement to topple a long-time leader on Philippine televisions daytime.
ABOUT: By The Numbers is a weekly column written by Ron Mia (@rojan88 on Twitter, @akosirojan88 on IG), a Blogger by night and Data Analyst by day. The column focuses on analyzing TV shows based on their survey numbers. A detailed, no holds barred analysis of what’s hot and what’s not in the world of television.
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