'Marimar' returns to RPN-9

June 1, 2014

The Kasama Network RPN-9 is set to bringing back the hit telenovela that started it all, Marimar starring the Mexican actress Thalia airing on June 2 from Monday to Friday at 10 p.m.. This is part of the network celebration of its 18th anniversary of being the 'Home of Telenovelas'.

"We have been trying our programming formats to improve our audience share. Hopefully, with RPN, we will have better ratings," said Robert T. Rivera, the president and CEO of RPN.

A widely popular American TV series like MacGyver, The X-Files, Community, The Walking Dead, Smallville, NCIS: New Orleans, Chicago Fire, 24: Live Another Day, Revolution and Law & Order. The Kasama Network also broadcasts the phenomenal reality contest Survivor and American Idol.

Based on media research group Kantar Media/TNS Philippines reports, RPN’s audience share currently hits an average of 19%, at the bottom of the ratings charts behind dominant television companies ABS-CBN Corporation and GMA Network, Inc., which get an average of 54% and 43% respectively. IBC-13 (30%) and TV5 (22%) now also shares the number 3 spot in the ratings game. While not privy to government negotiations regarding the sale of RPN, Rivera expressed optimism that the changes in programming would boost the network’s chances of being sold at a higher price than earlier estimates.

Netizens on Thursday expressed their excitement for the comeback of Marimar in the Kapinoy channel. RPN refreshed the viewers memory as a teaser video titled Marimar: The Ultimate Throwback was uploaded on YouTube. On Twitter Philippines, users were abuzz with the news that the hashtag #ThrowbackMarimar trended on Thursday. RPN-9 announced that Marimar rerun will start on Monday, June 2, 2014 with a new telenovela hits liek Mentir Para Vivir at 6 p.m. and Porque el Almor Manda at 10:30 p.m.

Marimar was a Mexican TV telenovela that was first aired in 1994 on Televisa with singer-actress Thalía in the title role. The series had 75 forty-five minute episodes, and is the second part of a "Maria" trilogy. The first was Maria Mercedes, Maria la del Barrio and Rosalinda.

The rights were later bought by RPN 9, dubbed it in Filipino and re-broadcasted on a primetime slot on Philippine television. Pitted against industry giants ABS-CBN and GMA-7, Marimar caught the fancy of Filipinos and became a nationwide sensation.Intriguing is the fact that at that time, ABS-CBN and GMA’s shows lord over television and their shows occupy a very huge chunk of the ratings pie. In came Marimar and shoved its rival’s ratings. What made this foreign telenovela so special that it was ableto do such? On the marketing perspective, what strategies were employed that led tothe tipping of the ratings scale?

RPN began to turn around in 1996, thanks to the phenomenal Mexican telenovelas like Marimar and Maria la del Barrio that helped the broadcast network post a net income of P297 million that year. RPN then opened its programming to block timers, who bought airtime from the network. Solar has been aggressive in improving RPN’s prime time programming by coming up with locally produced shows.

The government-owned station RPN-9 first aired a Mexican telenovela Marimar in 1996 singlehandedly altered the public's viewing habits and became the highest-rating telenovela in the country that usually reached massive a hit in the Philippines with ratings over 50% and peaking at 46.5% became the one of the well-loved telenovelas in Philippine television history.

Showbiz critics attributed Marimar's success to several of its qualities. First of all, the story was about a poor yet charming young woman who went through a slew of misfortunes brought about by her love for a filthy-rich haciendero. In the end, she discovered that she was the long lost daughter of a wealthy old man. This revelation greatly turned her life around, enabling her to exact revenge on her former tormentors, including her childhood love. It was the characterization of the heroine as an underdog that really tugged at the viewers' heartstrings. The plot, critics said, was flatly formulaic, but Filipinos naturally have a soft spot for the poor and oppressed. Audiences could easily relate with the sufferings of Marimar as a reflection of the socio-economic plight of the majority. Marimar's triumph in the end signified hope, and the fairy-tale ending satisfied viewers as an escape, at least symbolically, from their bleak plight as individuals and as a people.

Thalia's physical features, as well as the other actors' faces, were as homespun as ours,  another factor that contributed to Marimar's success. The actors became household names. Babies born at the height of the show's popularity were named after the characters of the soap; even pet dogs were named after Pulgoso, Marimar's loyal talking canine.

Among the cast, Thalia gained the most attention and adulation of local viewers, of course. As expected, her immense popularity called for her to grace the country with a show, which was highly feasible since she's a singer and a performer in real life.

Executives of RPN eventually confessed that they had gladly relented to give P1 million-plus-per-day for Thalia's expenses during her August 1996 visit. Of course, given the projected income generated by RPN during the show's phenomenal run, they could well afford to shell out the hefty sum.

The original Marimar telenovela will be replayed by RPN daily airing from Monday to Friday at 10 p.m. while a radio adaptation titled Marimar Radyo Novela will be broadcast over 15 RPN radio stations nationwide through Radyo Ronda in Tagalog and Cebuano versions.