'Maria Clara at Ibarra' most-viewed series, garners 22M total viewing hours

MANILA, Philippines — GMA-7's historical portal fantasy series "Maria Clara at Ibarra" has garnered 22 million total viewing hours on the streaming platform Netflix Philippines. 

In a press statement, the network said that its hit 2022 show was able to tally 22,100,000 total viewing hours from January to June 2023 despite it not being released globally. 

Apart from this, "Maria Clara at Ibarra" is also the most-viewed program on Netflix Philippines based on Netflix’ engagement report for January to June 2023.

"Maria Clara at Ibarra" is inspired by the books "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo," written by National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. 

It tells the story of 21st century nursing student Klay Infantes (Barbie Forteza) who finds herself transported inside the books where she meets its famous characters, including the star-crossed lovers, Crisostomo Ibarra (Dennis Trillo) and Maria Clara de los Santos (Julie Anne San Jose). She also meets the mysterious Chinese mestizo Fidel (David Licauco), the best friend of Ibarra.  

It premiered in October 2022 and ended in February this year on GMA-7. Netflix Philippines picked it up and released it last April. 

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