Feel-good party to announce IBC-13 is a third player

July 25, 2012

Sequestered TV network IBC-13 spent more than a million pesos for the feel-good Pinoy Ang Dating! party that it hosted last Wednesday, according to Laurenti Dyogi, the head of IBC Entertainment TV.

The event, held at the Manila Diamond Hotel, was part of the network’s bid in order to compete with the two current leaders in the ratings game, ABS-CBN and GMA 7.

“Our corporate affairs, production and events groups teamed up to make this event a success,” Barreiro told Inquirer Entertainment on Saturday.

Vic del Rosario, Jr., the chairman and CEO of Viva Entertainment said that highlight of the evening was the launch of the local version of the phenomenally popular reality singing search, Born to be a Star. “We have other programs lined up, but I think there is another show in the world that’s bigger than Star for a Night, said Dyogi. “The intention is for Born to be a Star produced by Viva Television to be the one that will put IBC-13 squarely in competition.”

Born to be a Star airs its pilot episode on September 30 at 7:30 p.m. The program will be aired every Sunday in the lengh of 1.5 hour -- when it gets to the performance and results phases.

Other shows presented to the entertainment media during the party were Takot Ka Na Ba Sa Dilim?, Dear Heart, KapinoyLand, I Need Romance, and 5 Girls and Daddy.

Dyogi was especially keen on the network’s newest telenovela, Maria Isabel, the Mexican drama which wa soriginally aired on RPN-9 from 1999 to 2000.

“Maria Isabel became so successful even in Mexico, the mecca of telenovelas, that the Mexicans decided to make their own version,” he explained.

Dyogi said the Mexican production outfit Televisa also bought the rights to air Maria Isabel, which is topbilled by Adela Noriega and Fernando Carrillo. “This is something new, especially since Filipino viewers are so used to watching soap series in Korean and Taiwanese,” he said.

The program at the Diamond Ballroom began with a song-and-dance number by the singing champion and powerhouse singer Anja Aguilar, host of the reality singing contest Born to be a Star,

Hosts of IBC-13 shows who helped pick out the raffle winners were: Richard Yap (The Weakest Link), Pat Natividad (Cooltura), Cara Eriguel and Victor Anastacio (DMZ-TV), and Drew Arellano (Who Wants to be a Millionaire?).