Spicing up the cutthroat world of local television, the already fierce bout between ABS-CBN’s ‘It’s Showtime’ and TVJ/TV5’s ‘EAT Bulaga’, over noontime domination, hit a new level of excitement with the former’s entry to GMA Network’s main channel.
Long-standing Kapamilya noontime show, It’s Showtime, made its historic grand entrance into GMA Network’s main channel on April 6, 2024, nine months, since its equally much talked-about moved to GTV from TV5. The said move marked a new era of daytime entertainment. Meanwhile, EAT Bulaga, once a flagship Kapuso noontime show, made a shocking move to It’s Showtime‘s former home, TV5, ending a near two-decade partnership with GMA Network and three decades with Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE).
Let’s delve into the numbers and see how these titans fared during their first five days on their respective current TV channels:
It’s Showtime: A High-Flying Debut
On April 6, 2024, It’s Showtime made viewers across the country glued onto their TVsreens, for its historic debut on GMA Network’s Channel 7. The said debut generated a whopping 9.6 people rating, across three free-to-air channels and a pay TV channel. On GMA, alone, the debut pulled off a 6.8 people rating, the highest among all shows airing on the noontime block, that day.
Overall, It’s Showtime emerged as the fourth most watched TV program, even edging out several primetime TV shows.The show’s historic debut left a lasting impression on daytime audiences, but the question on whether the momentum would ve sustained, dangles like an echo.
And continue it did. Here’s a breakdown of It’s Showtime’s ratings during its first week on GMA:
April 8, 2024: The show maintained its strong performance with an 8.3% rating (of which 6.0% came from GMA-7 alone).
April 9, 2024: Again, It’s Showtime delivered with an 8.6% rating.
April 10, 2024: The numbers remained consistent at 8.3%.
April 11, 2024: The show dipped to its lowest (so far) to 8.0%, but still held its ground and notably still near-double than its counterpart).
At this point, the show has lost 27% of its audience during its GMA 7 debut. That’s significantly much lower, than EAT Bulaga’s 48% reduction in total viewership, during a similar period when it moved to TV5.
Eat Bulaga: A New Chapter Begins
Eat Bulaga had to pull off some reinventions, in confronting a major change in its four-decade history, while also keeping its traditional elements to remain true to its roots. Debuting on TV5 on the 1st of July, last year, the show’s 8.4 people rating, completely proved the show’s staying power. This figure, it can be noted, solely came from TV5, alone.
But how did it fare against It’s Showtime? Let’s compare:
First Day (Saturday): In a head-to-head battle, It’s Showtime‘s debut on GMA, triumphed with a 9.6% combined people rating, while EAT Bulaga secured an 8.4% people rating on its TV5 debut.
Second Day (Monday): It’s Showtime maintained its lead with an 8.3% rating, while Eat Bulaga lagged behind at 6.0%. This marked a significant viewership for both shows: 12.5% for It’s Showtime, 28% for EAT Bulaga.
Third Day (Tuesday): The trend continued, with It’s Showtime at 8.7% and Eat Bulaga dipping further to 5.0%. At this point, the TVJ-topbilled show had already bled 40% of its original audience, higher than Showtime‘s 9.4%.
Fourth Day (Wednesday): It’s Showtime remained steady at 8.3%, while Eat Bulaga further plummeted to 4.6%.
Fifth Day (Thursday): It’s Showtime sustained a 2.5% reduction in its viewership at 8.0 versus Eat Bulaga’s 4.4%, during the same period.
Truly, It’s Showtime’s move to GMA Network’s main channel, which once hosted its fierce noontime rival, EAT Bulaga, has been nothing short of sensational.The high viewership it attained on its first five episides in its new home network, showcased a promising start for this landscape-defying shakeup in noontime television. Meanwhile, Eat Bulaga, despite facing stiff competition, has held its ground and continues to entertain viewers.
As this intense competition rages on, it’s hard not to believe how the local television scene would only become more and more exciting, in the coming weeks, months, or years.The noontime TV landscape has inevitably shifted, and judging the attention these two major television events drew, one can say that the future of daytime entertainment stands poised to deliver more exciting surprises in the near future.
Whether it’s the fresh performances of It’s Showtime or the enduring charm of Eat Bulaga, the noon slot remains a hotly contested arena, and that’s one great reason to stay glued on our TV screens!
