TV5 exec vows to break duopoly

WILMA Galvante, TV5 chief entertainment content officer
ARNOLD ALMACEN/INQUIRER

“I’m with TV5 to try to break the duopoly. It’s a challenge, but I’m not alone.”

Thus vowed Wilma Galvante, new TV5 chief entertainment content officer.

“I have very strong allies in MVP (TV5 chair Manuel V. Pangilinan) himself, in the MVP groups and in the people of TV5 who all know their trade very well,” added Galvante, who replaced Perci Intalan, head of entertainment and creative production for three years.

Galvante is convinced that TV5, which Pangilinan acquired in 2010, has made a huge impact and that giant networks ABS-CBN and GMA 7 were already feeling its effects. In fact, she pointed out, big-name stars from both channels have transferred to TV5, also called the Kapatid network.

“We’re at this stage when we’re not yet the winner, when we’re only just starting to introduce ourselves to viewers,” she admitted. “We’re building, brick by brick. We’re getting there.”

She added that TV5 was determined to use all of its resources to succeed. “It has many platforms now; it’s just a matter of populating the grid—that’s where I come in.”

GALVANTE’s team recently launched “Madam Chairman,” a show hosted by Sharon Cuneta.

Galvante’s team recently launched two new weekend primetime shows—“The Mega and The Songwriter” and “Tropa Mo Ko Unli”—and came up with “strip programming” for weekdays via “Madam Chairman” and “Let’s Ask Pilipinas.” It has created two drama programs—“For Love or Money” and “Positive”—which air back-to-back on Thursday night.

She plans to launch “at least five new Kapatid stars” and “come up with new, exciting and compelling programs” for 2014.

“The network has very few in-house talents—probably only around 20. Stars are made—we will make them for TV5. We will also launch two love teams in 2014,” Galvante declared.

Galvante joined TV5 in February 2012 as consultant for its reality talent search program “Artista Academy,” shortly after her retirement as GMA 7 senior vice president for entertainment.