KUALA LUMPUR: Popular TV3 drama series 7 Hari Mencintaiku 2 hit it big when it garnered 12 million viewers throughout its 33-episode run.
Starring Shukri Yahaya and Siti Saleha, the final episode of the family drama alone (which aired on Aug 17) recorded a whopping amount of 5 million viewers.
These were the findings by a Nielsen 2020 report, released by TV3.
A personal achievement for 7 Hari Mencintaiku producer Siti Rosmizah Semail, she said that viewers were gravitating towards a family drama which ultimately give them a deep understanding of the issues presented.
"Based on the comments I received, I believe that viewers want a change in our dramas."
"I suggest for TV stations to take on more dramas from this genre since stories like this are what audiences are looking for.
"All this while, we mostly look towards Korean dramas that feature a fantasy love theme. We have to open our minds and accept the fact that matters pertaining to the people are closer to the viewers' hearts," she said in a news report today.
Siti Rosmizah added that the viewership of the drama which extolls positive messages would have been higher if its screening on online platforms was taken into account.
"The 12 million mark is only for viewership on TV. It doesn't include the amount of viewers on YouTube as well as on the iQIYI streaming platform.
"If YouTube viewers were taken into account, I'm confident that the drama would have a rating of over 20 million based on each episode garnering about 800,000 viewers," she said.
On the possibility of a third season of the series, the Siti Rosmizah said that the matter was being discussed with TV3.
"TV3 has asked me for Season 3. I've already come up with the storyline. I just need some time to write the script.
"From the initial discussion, the project is expected to start in 2022," she said.
Siti Rosmizah added that 7 Hari Mencintaiku might also be adapted into a feature film.
"But that will depend on the current situation and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. If not, it'll just go on as a small screen drama.
"For now, the main characters will remain, although we will introduce new ones as well for a change.
"Prior to this I had launched the novel first before the drama, so it might change for this new one. We air it first before coming out with the novel.
"This is to prevent spoilers. It can get viewers excited since they don't know what's going to happen next in the drama series," she said.