TV firms keep ratings lead

The country’s two biggest television networks maintained their ratings lead in their respective strongholds last July, data from separate research companies showed.

In a statement, GMA Network Inc. said it continued to dominate in the viewer-rich Urban Luzon and Mega Manila markets while ABS-CBN Corp. extended its lead across the country.

GMA Network, which uses data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, said it cornered 35.7 percent of total day household audience share in Urban Luzon, ahead of ABS-CBN’s 33.3 percent and TV5’s 8.9 percent.

GMA also led competition in Mega Manila, posting an average share of 37.4 percent, up 7.7 points from ABS-CBN’s 29.7 percent and TV5’s 9.4 percent.

Urban Luzon and Mega Manila accounted for 77 and 59 percent, respectively, of all urban TV households in the country, GMA said.

ABS-CBN, which uses data from Kantar Media, said it got an average national audience share of 47 percent, or 16 points higher than GMA’s 31 percent.

ABS-CBN added that it kept its stronghold in the primetime block (which runs from 6 p.m. to midnight), after scoring an average audience share of 53 percent, compared with GMA’s 26 percent.

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