ABS-CBN barely ahead in ratings game, says GMA Network
Broadcasting giant ABS-CBN Corp. claimed to dominate national television ratings in July while rival GMA Network Inc. said the former’s lead had thinned to a hairline.
Citing a Kantar Media survey covering urban and rural homes, “Kapamilya” ABS-CBN claimed the top spot in the ratings game in July with a nationwide audience share of 42 percent against “Kapuso” GMA’s 34 percent.
Based on data compiled by Nielsen, GMA said it had significantly reduced ABS-CBN’s lead in the national urban television audience scale to a mere 0.1 percent as it posted a 34.4-percent share in July. In the same survey, “Kapatid” TV5 accounted for 12.1-percent market share.
ABS-CBN and GMA both claim that the rating firms each network espouses is more reliable than the other.
In a statement, ABS-CBN claimed to have a lock on the primetime block despite GMA’s new offerings. ABS-CBN recorded an audience share of 47 percent against GMA’s 33 percent.
Primetime, which runs from 6 p.m. until midnight, is said to be the most important time block when most Filipinos watch TV. Advertisers buy up the most airtime during the time block to reach more consumers.
The top three most watched programs were: “Maalaala Mo Kaya” with a national TV rating of 35.4 percent, followed by “Juan Dela Cruz” with 34.9 percent and “Wansapanataym” with 32.2 percent. In fourth place was “The Voice of the Philippines” with 29 percent.
Among news programs, Kantar data showed that “TV Patrol” had the highest national rating of 28.7 percent against the 18.5 percent share of “24 Oras.”
In a separate statement, GMA said it maintained its dominance in the afternoon block, citing a 35.6-percent total day audience share—1.9 points higher than its performance the previous month. It also reported improved ratings in the morning block by 3.8 points to 31.5 percent this July, and in the coveted primetime block by 3.3 points to 34.8 percent, based on Nielsen data.
GMA also said it had reinforced its leadership in viewer-rich Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, where it scored substantial margins over rival networks, based on Nielsen data.
In Urban Luzon, which accounts for 76 percent of the total urban TV households in the country, the Nielsen survey showed that GMA had recorded an average total day audience share of 38.6 percent in July ahead of ABS-CBN’s 30.4 percent and TV5’s 11.6 percent.
Across all timeblocks in Urban Luzon, GMA said it dominated the list of top programs in the area with 18 out of 30 shows.
