Yahoo Lifestyle Filipino Media Giant ABS-CBN Charts Global Course, Betting on Universal Appeal of Love Stories and Family Dramas (EXCLUSIVE)
After Korea, Philippines media giant ABS-CBN is positioning itself as the next potential purveyor of hit Asian entertainment, building on the international box office success of “Hello, Love, Again.”
“What we want to export or highlight to the rest of the world is what makes the Filipinos great as a people,” says Kriz Gazmen, head of ABS-CBN Films. “We’re very big on our love stories. We’re very proud of our love stories, and I think that’s a very good entry way for us to the global market.”
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The strategy appears to be working. “Hello, Love, Again” recently shattered records, becoming the first Filipino film to gross over PHP1 billion ($17 million) worldwide. The film secured the widest international theatrical release for a Filipino production to date, reaching over 1,330 screens across 40 countries. Its box office total now stands at $24 million as the rollout continues.
“We have to stay true to what makes us unique as a culture,” says Carlo Katigbak, president and CEO of ABS-CBN Corporation. “The two things that have done very well for us traditionally have been romantic comedies and family stories. At the heart of Filipino culture is a very, very deep connection with the family.”
Katigbak points to the themes in “Hello, Love, Again” as resonating with global audiences. “There’s a unique storyline when you think about it. For the Filipino to take care of their families here, they have to fly out and take care of somebody else’s family,” he notes, referencing the fact that 10% of the Philippine population works overseas.
For 2025, the company’s slate includes the family comedy “And the Bread Winner Is…,” which premiered over Christmas at the Metro Manila Film Festival, and Valentine’s season romance “My Love Will Make You Disappear” starring Kim Chiu and Paolo Avelino. Additional projects in development include a family drama, horror film and youth-oriented movie.
Following the success of “Hello, Love, Again,” ABS-CBN is expanding its global distribution network, particularly in Europe where the film is currently enjoying its first commercial run. The company has already established strong markets in North America, the Middle East, Australia and Southeast Asia.
Looking ahead, Katigbak sees theatrical releases as offering the greatest potential for growth. “Unlike a standard licensing deal which has a price that’s capped, if we have a movie that does well in the box office, your upside is quite large,” he notes. “While we continue to do syndication deals on the television side, our focus as a company will really be to see how well our films can do globally.”
While the company maintains a strong focus on romance and family themes, Katigbak underlines their openness to diverse storytelling: “Our starting point has always been a great story, rather than focusing on a particular genre. Anytime somebody comes to us with a story that’s authentic, original, and compelling, we would be open to moving that into production.”
The company’s development process prioritizes personal storytelling. “The stories that we eventually decide to produce are the ones that are very personal to the writers,” says Katigbak. “In our experience, those are the stories that have really resonated very strongly with our audiences.”
“Whenever we do our pitching days, the first question that we always ask the filmmaker is, ‘Why this story and why is this personal to you?'” adds Gazmen. “You already know the filmmakers who are deeply passionate about what they’re talking about because it’s coming from a personal place, and usually those are the stories that really resonate with us as well.”
This openness to external collaboration marks a shift in company culture. “Traditionally, the old version of ABS tried to do everything in house,” Katigbak explains. “But today, our culture is much more embracing, much more open, much more collaborative. There’s really a deliberate effort now by both the film division and the television division to find stories from wherever.”
The changes in strategy come after a period of significant adaptation for the company. In 2020, the then Philippines government ordered that ABS-CBN cease broadcasting on TV and radio in a move widely seen as politically-motivated. A few months later, the Philippines Congress voted against a bid for ABS-CBN to win a new franchise. In recent weeks, several Congress representatives have filed bills to grant a broadcast franchise to ABS-CBN.
The television production slate for 2025 includes political action-thriller “Bagman” and action series “Incognito,” alongside a Philippine adaptation of Korean rom-com series “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay.” On the music front, girl band Bini, which has achieved two No. 1 songs in the Philippines, is set to embark on an international tour covering Asia, the Middle East and the U.S.
“One of the key learnings that we got during the pandemic and during when our license was not renewed by the government, is that we had to relearn a lot of things,” Gazmen notes, emphasizing the importance of reaching out to new communities and markets through strategic partnerships.
“It gave us the opportunity to learn, and that involves partnering with people who know how to do their stuff,” Gazmen adds. “It takes a village to talk to different echo chambers, to different communities, to different markets, and we are learning along the way. And ‘Hello, Love. Again’ provided us with this great opportunity to recognize things that we haven’t had touch points before, and hopefully in the coming theatrical seasons, we’ll be able to reach new markets and see where Filipino content can go further.”
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