ABS-CBN shows are making waves internationally with the premiere of Mars Ravelo’s Darna in Indonesia and Viral Scandal in Africa.
As Jane De Leon (Darna) continues with her fierce battle as the modern-day Filipino superheroine in Mars Ravelo’s Darna still airing weeknights in the Philippines, audiences abroad can now watch the series dubbed in Bahasa as it recently premiered on Indonesia’s free-to-air TV network ANTV.
During its pilot week, the highly-anticipated transformation of Narda to Darna stirred up excitement and left a promising impression amongst Indonesian viewers.
ANTV’s chief program and communications officer Kiki Zulkarnain also expressed how the story of Darna appeals to Indonesian viewers and is delighted to bring the show to its regular programming, hoping to inspire its various audiences.
We have always presented programs with a narrative closely associated with the daily lives of Indonesian people. As we begin the year, we present a new genre to our viewers that tell the story of the iconic Filipino heroine Darna, which also appeals to our younger audiences as she serves as a perfect role model for them. Darna certainly makes our programming more diverse, and we hope it will not only entertain but instill values in the youth through her acts of kindness and bravery,” Zulkarnain addressed.
Meanwhile, another ABS-CBN program makes its way to African viewers with the English-dubbed version of its hit drama series Viral Scandal, also currently airing in 41 Sub-Saharan countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Seychelles, and Ivory Coast.
The show, starring Charlie Dizon, Joshua Garcia, Dimples Romana, and Jake Cuenca, among others, follows how the Sicat family gets disrupted by a scandalous video involving their beloved daughter, Rica (Charlie), and how she sought justice following her traumatic experience that almost ruined their lives.
These welcoming feats in 2023 add to ABS-CBN’s continuous pursuit of showcasing world-class Filipino content of all genres to foreign audiences in more than 50 international territories—selling over 50,000 hours of content with stories that appeal to and relate to various cultures.
Apart from Mars Ravelo’s Darna and Viral Scandal, other ABS-CBN shows that have aired abroad include FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, Sino ang Maysala?: Mea Culpa, La Luna Sangre, Since I Found You, Ang sa Iyo ay Akin, and The Legal Wife in Africa; the 2015 remake of Pangako Sa ‘Yo in Latin America; The Blood Sisters in France’s overseas territories; and most recently its three primetime series Marry Me, Marry You, On the Wings of Love, and Halik in Malaysia.