No lull in ABS-CBN, GMA ratings duel

Media giants ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc. continued to lock horns over television ratings for the month of September.

GMA Network Inc. said it maintained its lead in viewer-rich urban areas, mainly in Luzon, while ABS-CBN claimed an overall lead nationwide.

GMA, citing data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, posted a total day people audience share of 41.1 percent in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement for Sept. 2018. The figure was ahead of ABS-CBN’s 37.1 percent.

ABS-CBN, whose third-party research provider Kantar Media took a broader scope, noted an average audience share of 44 percent against GMA’s 33 percent.

As with previous months, GMA underscored its reach in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, which accounted for the majority urban television viewers in the country.

In Urban Luzon, GMA claimed a total day people audience share of 46.7 percent versus ABS-CBN’s 30.8 percent. Its lead in Mega Manila stood at 48.6 percent against ABS-CBN’s 27.9 percent.

ABS-CBN, for its part, said it was ahead in the coveted primetime block. It also cited its leading position in Metro Manila, a key part of Mega Manila, as well as in Visayas and Mindanao.

For the primetime block, ABS-CBN said it lured some 47 percent of viewers against GMA’s 34 percent. In Metro Manila, its average audience share stood at 41 percent versus GMA’s 28 percent.