Almost nine months in, and the PIE has to be reheated and that should be done as soon as possible.
In May last year, ABS-CBN, Kroma, 917Ventures, and BEAM came together to create a brand new channel that will aims to deliver interactive entertainment to Filipinos, thus, PIE that stands for Pinoy Interactive Entertainment was born. During launch, PIE offered 21 hours of programming from 5:00 am to 2:00 am, with most of its airtime filled with live programming, with a little dash of music videos via the Playlist block.
Formats varied from game shows, talk shows, varieties, and even drama.
However, after a few months, in September PIE rejigged its entire schedule, axed some programming like Barangay PIE and PIEsilog (which were merged to form Barangay PIEsilog), and shortened its broadcast hours to 7 am to 12 mn. This set-up lasted until December 2022.
By January 2023, live programming was severely cut on the channel. Its morning and early afternoon schedules have been basically deserted, filled by reruns of Barangay PIEsilog and Barangay PIE, as well as Kapamilya classics, as of posting. Live programming now also starts way later at 4:30 pm with PIEgalingan, followed by PIEnalo at 6 or 6:30 pm. Dream Maker Pause and Play now fills the slot formerly occupied by PIE Night Long, which had also been airing repeats of past shows.
On weekends, it is pretty much the same, with live programming also starting in the afternoon. With the catch-up episodes of Dream Maker, PIE Shorts, and The Chosen One making the slight deviation from the weekday line-up.
Despite the channel’s obvious struggles as of late, PIE will still have original programming in the forseeable future, like Papa ng Masa, which is slated to begin on Saturday, February 18, replacing BB Gurlz on the PIEgalingan block.
But what are the options for PIE moving forward (at least in the near term)?
1. A block that will be aired simultaneously on A2Z, Kapamilya Channel
First, and perhaps a potential win-win situation, is a synergy between PIE and half-sisters Kapamilya Channel and A2Z.
Kapamilya Gold, which last had original programming almost two years ago, can finally have one or two anew by setting up a block in association with PIE. For KapCha and A2Z, this would help them bring back relevance to their respective afternoon blocks, which are filled by reruns of past dramas and movies. As for PIE, it would help its brand to be known beyond its online portals and the BEAM subchannel.
In the said PIE block, formats can range from original concepts to even Kapamilya IPs, like ‘Game KNB?’, or format acquisitions like ‘Deal or No Deal’ even. Possibilities are basically endless.
As for the specific time ideal for such venture, they could slot it just before TV Patrol or the 5:00 to 6:30 time block, providing alternative-slash-competition to GMA’s Famiy Feud.
2. Kapamilya weekend reality shows on PIE
Another opportunity for PIE is to provide an extended venue for ABS-CBN’s weekend reality and competition programs, may it be in the form of catch-up (like Dream Maker), delayed telecast, or even a direct simulcast.
But to add value to that practice, PIE’s website may also serve as a voting channel for contestants (well, at least for contests that require such), or part of the gameplay (for game formats).
3. Channel-branded blocks on PIE
A rather controversial idea is adding channel-branded blocks on the PIE channel.
With channel-branded blocks on PIE, it will help bring in audiences to the content of these channels, thanks to PIE’s free TV reach, while also helping to diversify PIE’s line-up. Currently, there are three channels from ABS-CBN that can easily fit into PIE’s programming grid.
The first is Myx. Through its block, it can reintroduce Daily Top 10, Hit Charts, and more, to free TV viewers. Plus, with the voting component that these chart shows require, perhaps it is only fitting for them to be on PIE. Moreover, PIE website can also be added as another voting channel for the Myx charts.
Second, MOR. With the highly interactive nature of MOR’s online radio shows, it immediately ticks the boxes in terms of format suitability on PIE. Not only that, PIE’s website can also be used by MOR to interact with both listeners and viewrs in real-time, as well as help both MOR and PIE gain viewership from one another. This could be done in either mornings or evenings (or even both).
Finally, Jeepney TV x PIE. For this one, though, PIE and Jeepney TV can explore the possibility of merging their respective blocks to simultaneously broadcast the same set of shows during a specific period. For example, if PIE channel airs The Better Half at 12:00 nn, then Jeepney TV should also air the same show on its own channel. But on both channels, the block should be named along the lines of Jeepney TV x PIE to cross-promote the brands on their resepctive linear platforms.
4. PIE on other Kapamilya channels
Speaking of, things can be put the other way around. PIE’s current line-up of live programs can be either re-aired or simulcast on other channels of ABS-CBN. For example, a PIE block on Myx or Jeepney TV can be put up to not only extend the viewership base of PIE on the traditional media platform, but also help in building its brand recognition among the general public.
PIE’s reason for its existence may be a novelty in today’s television landscape, but given the challenges that it had encountered and still experiences given the climate of today’s broadcasting industry, PIE should be agile enough to respond to trends and/or start more innovative concepts that will help it achieve better results. Thus, removing some of that novelty might just be something it needs to do to help the channel survive and later, thrive.
At least for the short term, the PIE just needs some reheating and not yet some other drastic measures like completely starting from scratch again, as that would definitely take much more time to prepare and bake before it’s ready.