The station of the nation, GTV will soon air a new foreign telenovela, www.nydjlive.com can authoritatively state.
The growing outcry and registration of discontent by Ghanaians especially on social media over the influx of foreign content on Ghanaian media platforms will not prevent the national public broadcaster (GTV), run by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation from joining the bandwagon.
Perhaps, the order of the day and the cash-cow of many television stations including Adom TV, UTV, TV3 and recently GhOne TV, GTV feels it is losing out on the growing audience for such programmes hence decision to air one of such telenovelas.
According to reliable information exclusively available to Ghana’s Hub For Pop Culture – www.nydjlive.com, GTV will from January 2018 commence airing a telenovela most likely in the evenings from 9pm. This, we gather is to create room less room for competition with other channels as most TV stations that have taken the lead in airing such programmes often end at the same time.
With Adom TV and UTV leading the pack with several eyeballs and cashing in on such content, it is not surprising that the national broadcaster which doesn’t want to lose out is positioning itself to have a share of the cash-cow. (It might not necessarily be a fare share though with Adom TV and UTV having over 30 advertisers each on Indian TV show such as Kumkum Bhagya and Veera)
Would the loud Ghanaian social media commentator cry over this as well or sit back and enjoy it in the comfort of their homes.
I wonder why many television stations would venture into airing such content if there was no demand for it. Then again, who are the very people who condemn them on social media? The very same people who watch them quietly in their homes?
NB: GTV is not new to showing telenovelas as they have done that in the past.
Ghana’s History With TELENOVELAS
TELENOVELAS swept through Ghana in the early 2000’s with the introduction of Esmeralda, a telenovela released by Televisa in 1997. It was aired on TV3, then owned by the Malaysians. It was a new TV station at the time and viewers caught the bud and relished the viewing experience.
As many got glued to their TV sets, they fell in love with the telenovela and thus helped in making Esmeralda, one of the most famous telenovelas in Ghana. Other TV stations were soon to follow, including GTV, the Station of the Nation.
Prior to the introduction of Esmeralda, viewers had a taste of a Mexican soap opera dubbed “Acapulco Bay.” It received a resounding applause from the audience and there were reports that some houses were razed down by fire as a result of the soap opera, since it was aired during one of Ghana’s “dum sor, dum sor” days.
Below are 10 telenovelas most Ghanaians were crazy about. (In no particular order)
1. Acapulco Bay
2. Second Chance
3. Rosalinda
4. Juana La Virgen
5. La Ursurpadora
6. Cuando Seas Mia
7. Storm Over Paradise
8. Catalina and Sebastian
9. Generations
10. Passions
