GMA Network to air hit shows in Africa

GMA Network Inc. said on Wednesday it has signed deals to air 14 of its hit shows in the African region, in its bid to become a “major provider of topnotch Filipino content in the world ’s second largest continent.”

The listed broadcaster said its content distribution arm GMA Worldwide has sold 14 titles for a total of 492 hours, with the shows set to air on major TV stations in Africa from 2023 to 2024.

Shows such as The First Nanny (First Yaya), The First Lady, Once Again, Someone to Watch Over Me, and Impostora, will be available this year in 41 countries in Sub-saharan Africa.

Meanwhile, the Crocodile Whisperer (Lolong), The Fake Life, Sahaya, and Hidden Lies (Anak ni Waray vs Anak ni Biday) are set to be shown in the said countries the following year.

Also to premiere in Ghana this 2023 as well are series Article 247, Rhodora X, Love of My Life, Broken Faith (Magkaagaw) and Beautiful Strangers.

“These latest deals give viewers all over Africa the chance to experience and enjoy the best of Filipino entertainment from the Philippines’s leading provider of superior content, GMA Network,” the company said in a statement.

Citing Nielsen TV Audience Measurement data from January to December 2022, GMA said in a statement that its combined people net reach, including GTV and its other digital channels, was at 96 percent or 78 million viewers in Total Philippines.

In terms of ratings, the network’s flagship channel, GMA-7, ranked first in Overall Channel Rankings. Its second free-to-air channel, GTV, was in the second spot, while its DTT channels, I Heart Movies and Heart of Asia, ranked 5th and 6th, respectively.