GMA’s Alamat performs well in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, based on Nielsen data

PRESS STATEMENT FROM GMA-7: A back-to-back victory in the ratings game was posted by Philippine TV’s first animated anthology series, GMA’s Alamat. The program’s first two episodes have won the hearts of viewers all over the country, coming ahead in National Urban TV Audience Measurement (NUTAM) and in the viewer-rich areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, according to data from the industry’s widely trusted ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement. On July 12, Alamat’s pilot episode featured “Alamat ng Bayabas,” voiced by veteran actor Pen Medina and GMA Artist Center (GMAAC) talent Harvey Almoneda. Its succeeding July 19 episode showcased “Juan Tamad,” voiced by GMAAC’s Mike Tan and Louise de los Reyes. The episodes tackled good governance and the value of being industrious, respectively. Alamat dominated the nationwide ratings for its first two episodes. In NUTAM, Alamat scored an average household rating of 13.2 percent for its July 12 and 19 (based on overnight data) episodes, beating competition’s 11 percent. In Urban Luzon, Alamat registered an average of 15.4 percent, ahead of competition’s 9.7 percent by 5.7 points. A wider margin can be observed in Mega Manila, where Alamat recorded an average of 15.4 percent, almost doubling that of competition’s 7.9 percent, which trailed behind by 7.5 points. The positive trend in the figures only proves that Pinoy-made animation has a place in the hearts of viewers. For its third installment, the program re-introduces the well-loved fable “Ang Langgam at ang Tipaklong” (The Ant and the Grasshopper). It features the story of long-time friends and polar opposites Larry the Ant and Tony the Grasshopper whose friendship is put to the test when a natural disaster strikes. Executed in full 3D animation, Darrell Siapno of Magic Tree, the studio tasked to create the visuals for this episode, calls this “the integration of traditional animation and the world of broadcast.” This emergence, according to Siapno, now goes by the term “broadcast animation.” Despite being very old, it is still a very timely story, according to Marjorie Mosura-Dumont, executive producer of Alamat who doubled as a writer for this episode. “The importance of being prepared is a timeless lesson, but the moral does not stop there. Extreme weather changes and food shortages are becoming the new normal, and we want to explain to children why we have these problems and what we can do to prepare when there is a calamity—all the while keeping it entertaining. Tonipet Gaba and Betong Sumaya play best frenemies Larry and Tony. Joining them are Milkah Nacion and Joshua Uy as Larry’s children Lala and Lemuel. Betong was very happy for the chance to voice a cartoon, especially since he was cast with his real life friend, Tonipet. He held nothing back, even strangling himself just to get the right emotion in some scenes. Meanwhile, Tonipet has been in some notable children’s shows, but this is his first time to attempt voicing a paranoid ant. Wondering what that sounds like? Funny and heartwarming, this week’s Alamat featuring the parable “Ang Langgam at ang Tipaklong' (The Ant and the Grasshopper) airs this Sunday, at 5 PM before 24 Oras Weekend on GMA-7. © www.pep.ph