GMA now streaming dramas on iQiyi
IT is now possible to stream GMA dramas as the network sealed a multi-year partnership with the Singapore-based on-demand streaming services iQiyi International.
Kapuso dramas First Yaya, and upcoming shows Legal Wives, Nagbabagang Luha, and Love You Stranger will be available within 24 hours after airing on TV on the iQiyi app or iQ.com. The GMA dramas are the first Filipino content to be available on the OTT (over-the-top, a media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet) platform.
“We are honored and grateful for iQiyi’s trust in partnering with GMA Network as the Kapuso programs jumpstart the exciting line-up of Filipino content for this platform. As we continue to adapt to the shifting interests of our viewers and their viewing habits, we relentlessly produce world-class entertainment programs that can be consumed in various platforms and iQiyi International’s massive user base will likewise complement our digital efforts,” GMA Network Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon said in a statement.
“There was a need for the viewers to go beyond this television viewing,” GMA Network Adviser for Content Sales, Syndication, Partnerships, and Distribution Reena Garingan said in an online press conference on April 29 via Zoom.
Ms. Garingan added that the shows are ad free when streamed online and audiences can rewatch episodes.
The romantic-comedy series First Yaya is the first Kapuso drama available on iQiyi. It follows Melody (played by Sanya Lopez) who gets to lead an extraordinary life as the nanny of the children of President Glenn Acosta (played by Gabby Concepcion) and eventually falls for him.
The upcoming shows are the cultural drama Legal Wives, starring Dennis Trillo, Alice Dixson, Andrea Torres, and Bianca Umali; the TV adaptation of the 1988 award-winning film Nagbabagang Luha, starring Glaiza de Castro and Rayver Cruz; and the romance-mystery mini-series Love You Stranger, starring real-life couple Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos.
“We are excited that this year alone, 12 new titles with over 1000 catch-up episodes will be available on iQiyi…,” iQiyi Philippines Country Manager Sherwin Dela Cruz said in a statement.
Bringing GMA Network’s entertainment content to international audiences is also a possibility in the partnership.
“We’re focusing first on the Philippines because it’s the first entry point into the partnership. As we move forward, I can imagine that we are going to bring some GMA shows to our neighboring countries,” Mr. Dela Cruz said in the same press conference, citing Hong Kong and the Middle East as possible areas since the platform is also prominent there.
For P99 per month, subscribers can catch up on Kapuso shows via iQ.com or the iQiyi International app. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
