ABS-CBN is further expediting its shift towards the digital space.
On November 23, 2021, media production giant ABS-CBN Entertainment and one of Southeast Asia’s biggest over-the-top (OTT) platforms iQiyi held a media conference to mark the beginning of their newfound partnership. First announced during this year’s Digicon event, the synergy between the two giant is a landmark deal. Not only would it be ABS-CBN’s first foray in producing original content for another OTT platform besides iWant TFC, but it would also be iQiyi’s first few prods in the Southeast Asian region.
As part of the deal, three shows produced by ABS-CBN Entertainment will soon become available on iQiyi.
First up would be Saying Goodbye starring Andrea Brillantes and Seth Fedelin — a romantic story about two Yengsters (Yeng Constantino fans), which later takes a turn after one of them falls sick. The series also introduces the love team of Kobe Brown and Andrea Abaya of PBB Connect.
Saying Goodbye will stream its first episode on iQiyi beginning December 4, 8:00 p.m. There would only be one episode available per week afterwards.
Apart from SG, Brillantes and Fedelin are also set to star in another series on iQiyi. Titled Lyric and Beat, the musical teen-oriented drama will feature Jonathan Manalo’s music. Apart from SethDrea, Darren Espanto, AC Bonifacio, along with an ensemble cast, are also set to star in the series. As of the moment, the program is yet to announce its release date.
Finally, Gigi de Lana’s debut as a leading lady is happening. Along with Gerald Anderson, they will co-star in Hello, Heart. In HH, Anderson’s character will hire the help of de Lana to play as his wife to help appease her grandmother who has dementia. The series’ official soundtrack will be De Lana’s rendition of Roselle Nava’s “Bakit Nga Ba Mahal Kita,” which made rounds on social media a few months ago.
Hello, Heart will premiere on December 15 at 8:00 p.m. One episode per week will be published thereafter.
Apart from ABS-CBN-produced content, iQiyi also streams selected programs from GMA Network. Meanwhile, for ABS-CBN, the company also distributes its content on other OTT platforms like iWantTFC, WeTV/iflix, Netflix, Viu (soon), among others.