GMA 7, ABS-CBN claim leadership in surveys

MANILA, Philippines–Television broadcast firm GMA Network said it held on to its traditional lead in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila last month while main rival ABS-CBN Corp. dominated TV ratings nationwide, separate statements on Wednesday showed.

GMA 7, which uses data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, said it achieved a 34.5-percent total day household audience share in Urban Luzon in June, compared with 32.7 percent for ABS-CBN and 11.6 percent for TV5.

GMA 7 similarly maintained its lead in total day ratings in Mega Manila with a 35.9-percent household audience share, up 5.9 points from ABS-CBN’s 30 percent and up 23.2 points from TV5’s 12.7 percent.

ABS-CBN, which uses data from Kantar Media, claimed a 45-percent average audience share across urban and rural home for June. This compared with 32 percent for GMA, the network added.

It also cited its primetime block, which runs from 6 p.m. to midnight, as it reported an average audience share of 51 percent compared to GMA’s 30 percent.

“The primetime block is the most important part of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put in a larger chunk of their investment to reach more consumers effectively,” ABS-CBN said.

On the other hand, GMA said capturing ratings in Luzon mattered as urban areas here represented 77 percent of all TV households while Mega Manila accounted for 60 percent.

Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes that represent 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population, ABS-CBN said in its statement.