Psst. E! is here

Filipinos love gossip. And they won’t stand for being late with it. After all, a few minutes can spell the difference between “trending” and “that’s so yesterday.”

Fortunately there’s E! Entertainment Television, which is finally making a home here in the Philippines.

At a recent launch event at The Peninsula Manila, we heard from Christine Fellowes, managing director for Comcast International Media Group in Asia-Pacific, who pointed out the Philippines is, well, not like other TV markets out here. “Filipinos know the entertainment industry really well. Some Asian markets might know, say, the Hollywood A-listers, but they don’t have the wide knowledge that Filipinos do.”

Could be that “50 years in Hollywood” under American influence we keep hearing about. Could be because Filipinos tweet and text with the rapid-fire dexterity of Old West gunslingers. Or could be because they just love gossip.

“There’s a big appetite for that here,” agrees Fellowes. “Filipinos like being ‘in’ on things. It’s really about wanting to be in the know.” You know how it is: Pinoys love hearing about celebrities — local or foreign — going splitsville or getting caught on tape with their knickers down; they sit transfixed at royal weddings and red-carpet events. 

Now, with E! launching its home channel here on SkyCable, there’ll be no shortage of E! News, E! News Asia, The Soup, Chelsea Lately, Live From The Red Carpet, Fashion Police, Keeping Up with the Kardashians and all its spin-offs, plus local reports on homegrown celebrity events.

Christine Fellowes, managing director for Comcast International Media Group, Asia-Pacific: “Filipinos like being ‘in’ on things.”

Actually, E! already has a leg up here: Filipinos have been watching its shows through channels like ETC and Velvet for years now. “We’ve been here supplying programming for Filipino audiences for 10 years,” says Fellowes. “It’s a good thing when developing a market to have a relationship with local audiences and broadcasters (like ABS-CBN), so we know what Filipinos like to watch.” That would be Kardashians, Kardashians, and more Kardashians.

Also big with Filipinos: E! True Hollywood Story. (We saw a short clip of an upcoming episode on Charlie Sheen, possibly the only celebrity who gets updates so often on E! True Hollywood Story that he deserves his own DVD box set.)

“All the content for E! True Hollywood Story will be exclusive to E! channel” when the network launches, Fellowes says, though existing contracts with other channels showing E! content will still play out.

You might think a network devoted to gossip and celebrity news would appeal chiefly to women. Uh-uh. Not in the Philippines. “We find the shows skew a little bit more to women — 57 percent, say — but there’s a lot of men who watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians. A lot! Especially Kim.”

Don’t try to pretend you can ignore Kim Kardashian. She’s like the elephant-sized derriere in the room that you try to ignore, but just can’t. Now she’s getting married. Expect E! to have all the juicy details.

Fellowes has a keen grasp of local viewing habits: “In the Philippines, we notice the primetime viewing is later than other markets in the region.” (Could be all those call-center workers with insomnia.) Viewers see E! as “a place to escape.” A lot of it is “fly-on-the-wall viewing,” glimpses into glamorous lifestyles. “You don’t have to use your brain to watch,” she admits, something E! is definitely “unashamed” about.

The E! launch got some rollout juice from hosts Dominic Lau (of E! News Asia) and model Georgina Wilson, who says she thinks of herself as part of the Kardashian brood: “I’m the most delusional fan of E!; I feel like I’m part of it.” She adds, “We Filipinos are obsessed with celebs, and that’s all E! ever talks about. And the best part is, nothing is sugarcoated.” With outspoken announcers like Joan Rivers onboard, it’s true: you don’t get a lot of sugar helping the medicine go down.

Leilani Fariñas (left), VP for marketing, NBC Universal International, and Yasmin Wong, marketing director, Asia Pacific, Universal Networks International

The best part is, the Philippines E! channel will offer first-run and exclusive programming — stuff like Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Khloe & Lamar, The Dance Scene and other new shows.

“Celebrity content is hugely popular with Filipino viewers,” agrees Claudia Suarez, SkyCable’s programming head. “With the launch of E!, we are thrilled to be able to offer our subscribers the single, definitive source for news and information on Hollywood entertainment and celebrity.”

The launch of E! in the Philippines makes the channel available to almost 16 million households in Asia.

Psst… Pass it on: E! is here.