Will Noli and Korina bring "tv patrol"back on top of the ratings?

Plus: “Willing Willie,” an emerging threat to primetime newscasts

Should the return of Noli de Castro and Korina Sanchez to "TV Patrol" on Monday (Nov. 8) be taken to mean that ABS-CBN is taking the threat of TV5 and "Willing Willie" (hosted by Willie Revillame) seriously? Or is ABS-CBN just calling on its veteran broadcasters to take the lead again of its primetime newscast to rock the boat, so to speak, in the battle of news programs?

Noli took the leave of absence from broadcasting when he ran for the vice presidency, while Korina took a leave from "TV Patrol" last year when she got married to former Senator Mar Roxas. Noli and Korina are two of the pioneers of "TV Patrol" when it started 23 years ago. Maybe, ABS-CBN just wants to make sure that it takes a firm hold of the audience of "TV Patrol," amid the emergence of a game show on a timeslot that has been the domain of news programs for many years.

So far, the news programs of both ABS-CBN and GMA 7 are managing to hold their own despite the presence of "Willing Willie" on the 6:30 p.m. slot. True, Willie's game show is also rating but it is nowhere near the numbers displayed by "TV Patrol" or "24 Oras." But the people at TV5 are nevertheless happy with its showing, ratings-wise.

With the return of Noli and Korina, will "TV Patrol" muscle its way back to the top of the TV ratings chart? Or will "24 Oras" still lead the competition, with Willing Willie trying to play catch up?

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Speaking of Willie Revillame, his new game show on TV5 did very well on its pilot episode last Oct. 23 (Saturday). It became number one on its timeslot. According to the Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (among megamanila individuals), the overnight ratings showed TV5 taking 33.8%, ABS-CBN with 30.4% and GMA 7 with 26%.

With its more than 250 performers and multi-million peso set, the pilot episode of "Willing Willie" became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. The show's initial telecast also attracted a huge crowd, bringing traffic along Quirino Highway in Novaliches, where the studio of "Willing Willie" is located, to a standstill.

Willie thanked his numerous fans and supporters from all over the country who watched his show's opener. He also thanked the people who expressed their desire to see him again on TV. He said he owes the success of his show to his audience.

According to Atty. Ray C. Espinosa, TV5 President and CEO, "We are ecstatic with the very strong rating of 'Willing Willie' and this is indubitable proof that Willie Revillame, contrary to recent propaganda, is and remains a well-loved host with a large base of loyal followers. We are confident that 'Willing Willie' will also deliver strong ratings during weekdays and provide further lift to the ratings of our weekday shows."

The impressive launch of "Willing Willie" completed the new trio of #1 shows on the Saturday line-up of TV 5. Last October, Vic Sotto's new show titled L.O.L. (Laugh or Lose) became no. 1 on its pilot episode. The original weekend winner of TV5, the groundbreaking "Talentadong Pinoy" hosted by Ryan Agoncillo maintains its lofty position on its time slot.

According to Mr. Bobby Barreiro, TV5 EVP at COO, "TV5 has already begun winning weekends, especially on Saturdays with 'L.O.L.' and 'Talentadong Pinoy.' The addition of 'Willing Willie' makes TV5 truly the network to watch. It's any programmers' dream to have Vic Sotto, Ryan Agoncillo and Willie Revillame in one network and on one night. And yet, despite having such big-name hosts, the great thing about our Saturday lineup is that the three shows are also focused on the audience, the shows all shine the spotlight on the people."

"Willing Willie" is aired every Saturday at 5pm and from 6:30 to 8:30 pm from Monday to Friday.