"Alam naman natin kung gaano kahirap binabangga mo. Hindi lang isa kalaban mo, e...Dalawa e, nag-uumpugang bato, sisingit ka sa gitna, di ba? And we know that, di ba, for every success we have, that means there's gonna be a change sa kanila, which is good. Kasi, yun na nga, nagsi-shake ang industriya kapag meron kaming ginawa at nag-succeed," he told PEP.

The TV5 boss added, "Talentadong Pinoy, for example, biglang magbabago ng program schedule yung mga kalaban namin. Face to Face, nabubuhay ulit ang talk show..."

The entry of ABS-CBN's It's Showtime in October 24, 2009, had most viewers shifting from talk show to variety show. The eight-year-old SiS of GMA-7 went off air on December 17, and was replaced by the variety show Diz Iz It on February 8 of this year.

TV5 chose not to join the bandwagon. Instead, it retained the talk show format, and spiced it up with a "Talakserye" concept.

STARS ON THE MOVE. The youngest player in the field did not just capture audiences, but contracts as well. To date, about ten stars have already chosen to become Kapatid.

The most controversial transfers were that of Ruffa Gutierrez, Paolo Bediones, Mo Twister, JC De Vera, Rainier Castillo, and Tuesday Vargas.

The contract-signing of Dolphy and Maricel Soriano was well-publicized. Comedy Empress Eugene Domingo also inked a non-exclusive contract with TV5 recently.

Does the Kapatid network have that much money to offer?

He replied pensively, "Alam niyo ito, e, ito totoo...People think na big-time ang resources namin because we are part of an MVP company. But at the end of the day, it's a business...So I cannot say we're offering the moon and the stars just without any business plan. Kami, we're very realistic and I don't know who will admit it pero yung mga taong kausap namin also know na ang ino-offer kasi namin is not just the monetary [income], but the career growth...

"Look at what will happen to you pag lumipat ka sa amin kung saan maluwag at kung saan maiilawan ka ng spotlight nang tama, di ba? Kung saan magagawa mo yung kung ano yung magaling ka na walang nakaharang sa daan mo, at walang intriga, di ba?

"Walang intrigahan...People didn't just consider the compensation, but also the new environment, kung saan new chance to build your career, so that's our competitive edge."

Also in line with this approach, TV5 has been designing shows that will become synonymous with the names of their main stars.

Mr. Intalan affirmed, "Look at Joey de Leon, he's always been with Wow Mali forever, and he does so many other shows outside of ABC 5. But when you say Wow Mali, Joey de Leon yun. Nobody else can do Wow Mali but Joey De Leon. Si Lucy, di ba, she did Shall We Dance? and also Sweet Life [in QTV 11], pero saan siya mas associated? Si Ryan, Talentadong Pinoy ang tumatak sa kanya bilang host.

"If the project is right for the artista, magsa-shine siya dun at makikilala, pero hindi mo kailangang i-deprive yung artistang yun ng opportunity to do other projects. Kung puwede makilala sila doon, that's fine"

Is Kapatid going to be more aggressive in "pirating" artists, as people say?