ABS CBN 2 vs GMA 7: Network Wars
Posted on November 19th, 2008
The two giant TV station in the Philippines today, ABS-CBN Channel 2 and GMA Channel 7 have been logging it out since after the revolution days. Both rose to prominence by using the same formula, that of sensationalism. For years now, they have going against each other’s throat when it comes to the ratings. The impact of their network war could be likened to the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry or maybe even the Crispa-Toyota heat.
And in the course of their tug-of-war for TV viewership, they have created their own brands by which people identify themselves with. These are Kapamilya for ABS-CBN Channel 2 and Kapuso for GMA Channel 7. Now people rarely mention the channel anymore, but rather they refer to themselves as either Kapamilya or Kapuso, depending on the station they are watching more often.
These two TV stations have been stirring up the people’s emotion so much so that there have been not some pretty incidences of the general public fighting as to which show is better on which channel. And sometimes this fight gets ugly.
These poor people who were caught in-between these two ‘warring network’ doesn’t have a clue, and maybe doesn’t even understand why they’re doing what they’re doing for their favorite channel. Would these giant networks even care for them?
Honestly now, the network war that these two stations have put out have really escalated into a national concern. Credit that to effective marketing. For all we know, at the end of the day, executives of these stations meet-up in the boardroom brainstorming their next pseudo-war to stir the people more. Or they could be in a common watering hole celebrating their success for raking in many advertisements.
Don’t you even wonder why they almost always have the same format of show at almost the same time? Are these just coincidences? Or is it simply a parallel marketing effort of these two networks to create issues?
Admit it or not, it’s effective.
It’s time to stop this network war! My kababayans, it’s time for us to be united. These two giant TV companies should give artists the freedom to work in projects that they like. Dapat iwala na yang mga exclusive contracts na yan. Why can’t these artists be under agencies which are not affiliated to any network. Para sa ganun, they can work freely in other stations.
I really miss those days when actors can promote their movies in different stations. Grabe na ang pagmonopolya ng dalawang istasyon na ito at may dumagdag pa na isa! Mga kababayan panahon na para mamulat. Walang mali kung manood ng palabas sa alinmang istasyon kung ito ay maganda at may katuturan. This network war is dividing us. Tama na, ABS-CBN at GMA-7 at pati na yung iba na gusto ring makisawsaw. Dapat hindi na lalo pang mahati ang mga Filipino.