GMA Network continues to beat rival in TV ratings

GMA Network Inc., the Philippines’ leading broadcast company, continued to beat its rival in television ratings during the second quarter of 2010. From April to June this year, GMA was ahead of ABS-CBN in Mega Manila with an average total day (6AM to 12MN) audience share of 34.6 percent, the company said in a statement. The rating is up by a 0.8 percentage point over the competition’s 33.8 percent in Mega Manila, which comprises 55 percent of total urban television households in the Philippines. The company cited June 27 to 30 readings based on overnight data collected by TV ratings data supplier Nielsen TV Audience Measurement. Mega Manila includes Metro Manila and suburbs — parts of Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. Cavite suburbs comprise 94.7 percent of total TV households in the entire province of Cavite; while Laguna suburbs comprise 66.4 percent of total TV households in the Laguna province. Rizal suburbs comprise 96.6 percent of total TV households in the province of Rizal. Large portions of Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, which are part of Mega Manila’s suburbs, also account for approximately 60 percent of the South Luzon coverage in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM). GMA Network continues to lead competition in the Mega Manila Suburbs, which include these key areas. GMA Network sustains ratings lead For the month of April, GMA Network Inc. was ahead by 1.2 percentage points with an average total day audience share of 35.8 percent versus competition's 34.6 percent. The lead was sustained until May after the company posted an average total day audience share of 34.1 percent as against ABS-CBN’s 32.9 percent. Both channels were tied at 34 percent last June. Similarly, GMA Network, Inc. has regained control in the first few days of July as the network registered an average total day audience share of 36.8 percent from July 1 to 6 (based on overnight data), up by 5.3 percentage points over ABS-CBN's 31.5 percent. On weekday-primetime (from 6:30pm to 11pm), GMA's audience shares were consistently ahead of ABS-CBN from April to June. In April, GMA garnered an average audience share of 41.9 percent, 2.1 percentage points ahead of ABS-CBN’s 39.8 percent. In May, GMA posted its highest lead at 4.4 percentage points with an average of 42.6 percent versus competition's 38.2. In June, GMA posted an average audience share of 40.9 percent versus ABS-CBN’s 39.8 percent. The broadcast company had 13 entries in the list of overall top 25 programs in June. Of the top five programs on chart, four were produced by the company. These included Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera’s Endless Love, Kris Bernal and Aljur Abrenica’s recently concluded The Last Prince, the action-packed series Panday Kids, and television’s first ever kanta-serye Diva featuring Regine Velasquez. Barbie Forteza’s Pilyang Kerubin figured strongly in the top ten list, while GMA’s banner newscast 24 Oras, anchored by Mike Enriquez and Mel Tiangco, was ahead of its counterpart, TV Patrol World. GMA’s Aquino-Binay Inauguration coverage dubbed, Panata sa Pagbabago, ranked 8th overall in June, way ahead of ABS-CBN's Panunumpa sa Bayan, which ranked 23rd. GMA Network and Kantar Media (formerly TNS) mutually agreed to end the contract for the latter’s services in 2009 because of unresolved issues regarding quality control raised by GMA against Kantar Media. The Nielsen TV Audience Measurement used by GMA Network is also used by at least 23 other local companies including another TV channel (not ABS-CBN). Top media agencies plus six regional clients likewise subscribe to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement. On the other hand, only ABS-CBN reportedly subscribes to Kantar Media. GMA Network, Inc.'s digital subsidiary, GMA New Media Inc., is the parent company of Media Merge Corp. Media Merge Corp. runs GMANews.TV. — RJAB Jr./LBG, GMANews.TV