In Philippine media, a love team (or loveteam) is an actor and actress (or occasionally two people of the same
gender) depicted to the public as a romantic
couple. Some of these onscreen pairs have become couples in real life.
The concept of love teams can be traced back to the
early years of Philippine cinema in the 1920s. The pairing of Gregorio Fernandez and Mary Walter who starred in silent films in the
country during the 1920s is considered as the precursor of the love team concept in Philippine cinema.
In the 21st century, love teams are also known by the portmanteaus of the couple's names. Becoming part of a love team in the Philippine entertainment industry can be a boost to the acting career of two people who are part of the pairing.
The two people in a love team often
star in television series and films with their characters. It is expected that their characters
will be romantically attached like in
line with their public image as a romantic couple off-screen. There are some organized fan groups supporting love teams. However, prospects of an actor or actress involved in a love team, especially the more
popular pairings, to
star with another actor or actress other than each other is limited.
TL;DR: It's kind of like shipping. But for the benefit of your career in the Philippine entertainment industry.
Althea: Who is your favourite love team?
Sofia: I like KathNiel (
Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla). I watched "The Hows of Us" and I just needed to see them together. How about you?
Althea: My favourite love team was Kimerald (Kim Chiu and Gerald
Anderson) but I do like KimXi now (Kim Chiu and Xian Lim).
