How ABS-CBN brings fans closer to the stars

After Lyza Borjal received a text message from Yeng Constantino that said the singer-songwriter would be appearing as guest judge on ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime, Lyza immediately mobilized her fellow Yengsters to go to the program’s studio to see Yeng even if they weren’t sure they would be allowed in.

These Yengsters, as Yeng’s fans are called, would wait out for Yeng after ASAP episodes, gigs and show guestings. They would get updates from 2,366 — saved on Lyza’s phone as Yeng as if it were a personal number — a daily update from the singer through ABS-CBN’s value-added mobile fan service Kapamilya Ka-Text. 

“I wanted all the updates I could get from her. Every morning I would make sure I had load for the day so I wouldn’t have to worry anymore. It made me feel special that I received messages straight from her,” said Lyza. 

Each 480-character update from Yeng costs P2.50 and Yeng could send as many as three updates a day. Those with photos, however, cost P5. 

Lyza shared that even before the concept of selfie became popular, Yeng had already sent her K Text followers self-portraits whenever she performed at gigs and before she went to bed in her pajamas. 

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram may have allowed fans to get a glimpse of the private lives of their favorite celebrities, but before social media took the world by storm, ABS-CBN had long bridged the gap between fans and their idols in the country through the efforts of ABS-CBN Interactive (ABSi), now called ABS-CBN’s Digital Media Division. ABSi pioneered value-added mobile fan services and initiated activities that would allow for a fan-celebrity connection through new media. 

K Text started out as Celebritext, which was launched in 2004 during the advent of text and picture messaging in the Philippines, as well as the height of Star Circle Quest (SCQ). Viewers could download via Celebritext picture messages of the popular talent search’s logo and contestants. 

But more personalized celebrity journals or kwentos were introduced later in the year in the form of K Text that rode primarily on the fame of SCQ finalists, especially Sandara Park. To subscribe, all fans needed to do was text the name of the celebrity, for example, SANDARA(space)ON to 2366. 

K Text, which carried the slogan Klose Tayo! enlisted the network’s 250’s biggest stars including Kris Aquino. These stars, mostly Star Magic talents, have reached out to at least 200,000 subscribers since 2006.

Sandara had the all-time high number of subscribers of 50,000. She was followed by Kris Aquino (30,000), Kim Chiu (25,000), Enchong Dee (15,000), Daniel Padilla (15,000), Kathryn Bernardo (9,000), model-host Jaymee Joaquin (15,000) and comedian John “Sweet” Lapus (10,000), whose blind items and gossip-packed updates drew a following. 

“While the subscribers saw K Text as a way of getting closer to their idols, the subscriber base was also indicative of what celebrities liked to share with their fans,” said Domi Espejo, who was ABSi head of Entertainment. 

“It was apparent with the subscriber base of Kris Aquino,” Espejo said. He added that while Kris would often share morning greetings, Bible quotes, and details about her tapings, she was also fond of recommending products to her followers, who were apparently lifestyle aficionados or working moms.

Aside from K Text, ABS-CBN made ways to bridge fans to their favorite stars. ABSi initiated Kapamilya Chat, regularly conducted during ASAP Chillout, which lasts to almost three hours and engages 3,000 chatters per episode. Kapamilya Chat also lets chatters in on backstage of ABS-CBN’s reality programs such as the The Voice of the Philippines live shows and Pinoy Big Brother live evictions. 

ABSi also pioneered the live streaming of press conferences of ABS-CBN’s programs and Star Cinema movies.

ABSi’s efforts even extended to new media, even going far as to conducting meet-and-greet opportunities such as Be Careful With My Heart and Aryana set visits and an Agua Bendita pool party where the fans got to interact with the program’s stars. 

True to ABS-CBN’s tradition of introducing pioneering offerings to its audiences, ABSi has indeed advanced the fan experience by allowing Filipinos to get to know their idols beyond watching them perform on TV or hearing their songs on the radio. 

As for Lyza, the mobile service did not only satisfy her need to be constantly updated on Yeng, but also made her get to know her idol on a personal level. 

“I’ve already memorized the way she texts... the punctuation marks, the smileys. I would feel her happiness through her texts,” said Lyza. 

She added that the mobile service was not only “a big part of the first three to four years of my life as a Yengster,” but that it also helped Yeng professionally, especially when the Chinito singer was just starting out. 

“It gave Yeng’s career a boost because it made her gain more followers and fans. It also helped us as fans because it connected us to her anywhere in the world. Bale wala ang load. It gave us a different kind of happiness,” she added. 

With new technologies changing the way we connect other than SMS, fan engagement is sure to evolve to reach more fans and get innovative in terms of delivering unique content. What’s next for loyal Kapamilya fans?