GMA, ABS-CBN claim ratings leadership

Broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. claimed a lead in urban ratings for August 2019 while ABS-CBN Corp. said it was No. 1 across the country, separate statements from both companies showed.

GMA Network, which uses data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, was slightly ahead in Urban Luzon with an audience share of 31.8 percent against 31.7 percent for ABS-CBN. In Mega Manila, which includes Metro Manila and nearby provinces, GMA recorded a share of 32.4 percent versus ABS-CBN’s 29.1 percent.

For its part, ABS-CBN, which uses ratings data from Kantar Media, claimed a nationwide audience share of 45 percent versus GMA’s 31 percent.

Broken down into areas, ABS-CBN said it had an audience share of 41 percent in Metro Manila compared to GMA’s 25 percent. For Mega Manila, ABS-CBN ranked 36 percent versus GMA’s 31 percent. It was also ahead in Total Luzon with 41 percent versus 34 percent for GMA.

ABS-CBN kept its historical ratings advantage in Total Visayas at 55 percent against GMA’s 24 percent and in Total Mindanao, with 52 percent versus 28 percent for GMA.

Both companies said ratings were driven by the top entertainment and news programs. Ratings are a closely followed measure by TV advertisers.

GMA said Nielsen TV Audience Measurement had 32 clients/subscribers consisting of local TV networks,regional clients; blocktimers, and media, consulting and digital agencies.

Kantar is a multinational market research group that specializes in audience measurement in more than 80 countries, has 26 TV networks, ad agencies, and pan-regional networks subscribing to its ratings services.

Apart from television, ABS-CBN has been diversifying to new initiatives such as digital television and internet TV.

Since 2015, it has sold over eight million digital TV boxes via its ABS-CBN TVplus product and it recently rolled out a mobile counterpart called ABS-CBN TVPlus Go. Moreover, its TV show and movie streaming app iWant has about 1.5 million active users per month.