ABS-CBN’s strategic shift to move its flagship weekend variety show “ASAP XP” to a Sunday primetime slot has reportedly fallen short of expectations regarding television viewership.
The program debuted in its revised 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. schedule on Sunday, September 6, a move that reduced its runtime to 90 minutes from its traditional two-hour broadcast.
Network insiders described the initial ratings as “underwhelming,” noting that viewer traction remained largely unchanged compared to its long-time noontime slot. However, the shift to primetime provided a minor boost in commercial advertising rates for the broadcast.
In light of the performance figures, ABS-CBN management is reportedly weighing options to bring “ASAP XP” back to TV5. Under the proposed plan, the long-running variety program would air back-to-back with TV5’s OPM countdown show “Vibe Plus.”
The network originally relocated “ASAP XP” from its three-decade noontime slot to primetime in May, following a broader industry trend of diminishing ad revenue for traditional weekend afternoon programming.