AVID viewers of GMA Network’s The Half Sisters, the country’s no.1 daytime show, will have all the more reason to stay glued on their favorite Afternoon prime series. And why? Eula Valdez joins the cast to give more interesting twists to the story.
Eula plays Ysabela Zuñiga, a rich hacendera who saves Benjie (Jomari Yllana) from an accident that leaves him with post-traumatic disorder. She does anything to fight for Benjie who she has learned to love.
anew in The Half Sisters
Eula says she is very thrilled to join the cast of the network’s top-rating series and to work again with Mark Reyes, who is directing the series. “I worked with him the first time I transferred to GMA in Kamandag years ago and, of course, I’m delighted to be part of the no. 1 daytime soap nationwide,” she said when she was introduced to members of entertainment press last week.
She is also very delighted to reunite with Jean Garcia and share the screen with her good friend in the program. They last worked together in the network’s Pinoy version of the Koreanovela All About Eve in 2009. “Of course, I’m also looking forward to work with my original love team Jean Garcia, yun ang lokohan namin na kami ang magka-love team,” she added
Reyes can’t be more proud of the program’s success since its pilot airing last year. He is very happy for the Filipinos’ overwhelming support for his program, which explores the phenomenon of hetero-paternal superfecundation.
“A good script and a great cast. That is the formula of The Half Sisters. From its unique premise to its unpredictable plot twists and sympathetic characters in complicated story arcs is what makes the show the no.1 daytime drama. And things get more exciting as Eula Valdez joins the already stellar cast led by Jean Garcia, Jomari Yllana, Gloria Romero, Barbie Forteza, Thea Tolentino, Derrick Monasterio and Andre Paras. The iconic rivalry of Jean and Eula will once again be enjoyed by local audiences in the next chapter of the consistent top-rating afternoon prime show of GMA,” the director said with much anticipation in his voice.
The Half Sisters is still the uncontested no.1 daytime soap nationwide, according to data of ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.
The series remains the program of choice of viewers not only in GMA Network’s bailiwick Mega Manila and Urban Luzon, but across National Urban Philippines. It is a certified hit compared to its counterpart programs on ABS-CBN like, It’s Showtime, Kapamilya Blockbusters, and the recently-launched Flordeliza.
Based on household ratings data recorded in NUTAM for Jan. 1-23 (Jan. 18-23 based on overnight data), The Half Sisters scored a rating of 17.5 percent, leading ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime’s 11.5 percent by 6 points, Kapamilya Blockbusters’s 10.5 percent by 7 points and Flordeliza’s 8.5 percent by 9 points.
In Urban Luzon, which comprises 77 percent of national urban television households, The Half Sisters marked another winning performance over its counterpart programs in ABS-CBN. It registered a rating of 20.1 percent, 9.9 points higher than It’s Showtime’s 10.2 percent, 11.1 points higher that Kapamilya Blockbuster’s 9 percent and 13.3 points higher than Flordeliza’s 6.8 percent.
The Afternoon Prime series likewise led in Mega Manila, which represents 60 percent of urban TV households in the country, after generating a rating of 20.8 percent, while It’s Showtime trailed behind by 11.5 points with only 9.3 percent, Kapamilya Blockbusters dropped by 13.2 points with only 7.6 percent and Flordeliza trailed behind by 15 points with only 5.8 percent.