Still armed with different metrics, TV giants lay claim to lead
Broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. claimed a lead in urban ratings for July 2018 as it received a boost from its coverage of special events, including President Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address.
Its main rival ABS-CBN Corp., separately announced it held on to its lead in terms of nationwide television ratings.
Both companies, which use different third-party research companies, released last month’s ratings data, a closely followed measure by advertisers.
In its statement, GMA said its average total day people audience share for July stood at 41.8 percent in terms of National Urban Television Audience Measurement, or Nutam. This, compared with 36.7 percent for ABS-CBN.
ABS-CBN, which taps Kantar Media for its data, said it cornered a nationwide average audience share of 44 percent against GMA’s 33 percent.
Similar to previous announcements, GMA underscored its lead in viewer-rich areas in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, which includes the Metro Manila capital district.
Its average total day people audience share stood at 46.1 percent in Urban Luzon versus ABS-CBN’s 31.3 percent. In Mega Manila, GMA’s lead was at 47.2 percent compared to ABS-CBN’s 29.5 percent.
GMA said its ratings benefited from special events such as the bout between Manny Pacquiao and Lucas Matthysse on July 15 and Mr. Duterte’s Sona on July 23. It claimed better ratings than its rivals on both occasions.
ABS-CBN, for its part, said it was the market leader in prime time, all other so-called day blocks as well as in Visayas and Mindanao.
It also claimed a lead in the hotly contested Metro Manila market, where it was the “TV network of choice.” Citing data from Kantar, ABS-CBN said its ratings in Metro Manila for July 2018 stood at 42 percent against GMA’s 28 percent.
In Total Luzon, ABS-CBN claimed a 39-percent share of the market against GMA’s 37 percent. The lead was bigger in Visayas, with 51 percent against GMA’s 26 percent, and in Mindanao, with 53 percent against GMA’s 26 percent.
