The pilot episode of the highly-anticipated TV adaptation of Mars Ravelo’s classic superhero tale surged past its rival Kapuso show in TV ratings.
ABS-CBN’s Darna dominated its time slot across multiple viewing demographic segments and geographic areas on Monday, August 15, the day it premiered on national television. According to Kantar Media Philippines, which reversed its media division closure last year.
Starring Jane De Leon in the title role, Darna soared high in the rating game against its rival Kapuso series–Lolong. The Pinay superheroine’s victory is evidently cliar in its bailiwick areas of Mega Manila, and the Metro Manila–where Kantar Media reported 19.4% and 23% household ratings for Darna, and Lolong managed to post 18.8% and 21.3%, respectively.
Darna reigned its time slot in Total and Rural Visayas, where it rated 21.9% and 22.2%, higher than Lolong’s 20.3% and 18.9%. It is worth noting that TV5 and A2Z, which both air Darna on free television, still have limited nationwide reach compared to GMA Network, which claimed a 97% household penetration across the country. That makes Darna’s victory even more commendable, not to mention it is also claimed dominance online with around 300,000 concurrent viewers on YouTube and Facebook nightly.
The first two episodes of Darna offered a glimpse of Darna’s origin and the cause of Valentina’s cursed power.
By the second episode, Iza Calzado’s character, Leonor, bade farewell, leaving her daughter, Narda (De Leon), with the responsibility of taking over her mother’s role as the protector of the stone and eventually becoming Darna.
