MANILA, Philippines – Executives of GMA Network Incorporated and ABS-CBN Corporation formalized on Wednesday, March 20, an agreement on airing the Kapamilya-produced noon show It’s Showtime on the Kapuso network’s two major channels starting April 6. 

Led by comedian Vice Ganda, It’s Showtime’s 17 cast members, nearly all wearing red, were warmly welcomed in GMA’s Studio 7 in Kamuning, Quezon City after stepping down from an It’s Showtime-designed truck from the nearby ABS-CBN compound on Mother Ignacia Avenue after its Wednesday show. 

They then witnessed the contract signing that would have It’s Showtime airing on GMA’s flagship Channel 7, in addition to its sister channel, Good TV or GTV, starting April 6, Saturday at 12 noon. They all thanked GMA executives for the new deal that is seen to improve the show’s ratings after Holy Week.

Channel 7 is the Philippines’ leading free TV channel with an audience share of over 40% in 2023 while GTV was third with nearly 10%, according to Nielsen data.

It’s Showtime moved to GTV from Manny V. Pangilinan’s TV5 Channel on July 1, 2023 after showbiz veterans Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon (TVJ) left Jalosjos family-led Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE) on May 31, 2023 and put up a new noon show, E.A.T. Bulaga, on the Kapatid channel.

Last March 7, TAPE, which had a blocktime deal with GMA until end of 2024, waved the white flag on its noon show, Tahanang Pinakamasaya (Home of the Happiest) on Channel 7 after failing to get enough commercials to sustain the show. This created the opening for It’s Showtime to take over the slot on Channel 7.

It’s Showtime also airs on televangelist Eddie Villanueva’s Zoe Network’s A2Z channel and on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Channel on cable TV. 

It’s Showtime on Channel 7, GTV and A2Z will go head-to-head with TVJ Productions’ E.A.T. Bulaga on TV5 and RPN’s RPTV starting April 6. 

GMA Chairman Felipe Gozon said after the contract signing he expects the ratings of It’s Showtime to go up starting April 6. 

“We expect – not hope – na tataas ang rating ng It’s Showtime magbuhat ng April dahil dala-dalawa na ang malakas na platform niyo,” he said, as he welcomed ABS-CBN’s promise to produce better It’s Showtime episodes. 

(We expect, not hope, that It’s Showtime’s ratings will increase starting April because you will now have two strong platforms.) 

Gozon said the signing on Wednesday confirmed what he said on June 28, 2023 that the network war between ABS-CBN and GMA was over. 

Gozon, who stepped down as GMA president and CEO last December, said the public can expect “mutually beneficial collaborations” between ABS-CBN and the Kapuso network following the contract signing. 

ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak described the signing in GMA as a “historic occasion,” noting that in his 30 years working in ABS-CBN, “we have never walked through your doors so thank you.” 

He said GMA had already welcomed It’s Showtime when a deal was signed on June 28, 2023 on airing of the noon show on GTV. This, however, was held in a neutral venue, the Seda Hotel in Quezon City. 

Katigbak said the airing of It’s Showtime on Channel 7 is the third major deal with the Kapuso network, the first two being the co-produced television drama Unbreak My Heart in 2023, and the airing of It’s Showtime on GTV. 

He said these partnerships have been “so successful” because both companies “share the same objective of bringing the best stories and the best programs to as many Filipinos as possible.” 

Katigbak urged the producers and the cast of It’s Showtime to come up with better shows.

“We’ve been given a very special opportunity to work with GMA, let’s go the extra mile guys to prove to our partners that we deserve this chance and that we are worthy of the trust that they put in us,” he said. 

Gilberto “Jimmy” Duavit Jr., GMA president and CEO, echoed the call.

“Ipagpatuloy niyo ang magandang programa at pagandahin pa natin, at lalo pa nating palawakin ang madlang Kapuso, madlang people at madlang Kapamilya,” he said. It’s Showtime hosts call their show’s loyal fans “Madlang People”.

(Continue with good programs and make them even better, so we can grow our Kapuso viewers, the general audience, and our Kapamilya viewers.)

‘Transformative’

In her speech, the veteran comedian Vice thanked GMA executives for helping ABS-CBN recover after suffering from the closure of its broadcast business. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by It's Showtime (@itsshowtimena)

“Kasi nung nasa GTV tayo, parang one-fourth ganun…parang nabuksan yung bakuran, pero nung GMA [Channel 7] na e binuksan na talaga yung pinto, ‘O, halika, dito tayo sa sala’,” she said. 

(When we were in GTV, it’s like we were one-fourth inside, it was like we were allowed in the yard, but with It’s Showtime on GMA-7, they’ve now really opened the door and invited us inside the living room.) 

Vice said it was the difficulties faced by ABS-CBN which enabled what she called the “transformative event” on Wednesday. 

“Hindi naman lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat kung gaano kasadsad ang isinadsad ng Kapamilya, pero nandiyan kayo hindi para tapakan kami at saktan pa sa panahong sadsad na sadsad kami, inialay niyo ang mga kamay niyo sa amin para unti-unti kaming makabangon.

(It’s not as if people are unaware of how aground Kapamilyas were, but you were there not to step on us and hurt us but you offered your hands to us so we could slowly stand up.)

“At ngayon po na pinili niyo kami, halika na, magsanib puwersa na tayo, para mapanalunan at mapagtagumpayan ang mas malaking hamon,” she said.

(Now that you have chosen us, let us join forces so we can win and become victorious in this bigger challenge.)

GMA and ABS-CBN were fierce competitors in the Philippine broadcast business until Lopez-led ABS-CBN was ordered by the Duterte administration to close down its free television and radio operations in May 2020. ABS-CBN has since pivoted to being a content provider to various networks and streaming platforms. – Rappler.com

How ‘It’s Showtime’ airing on GMA Channel 7 will impact network war with TV5