GMA hikes lead in Luzon, Mega Manila October TV ratings

GMA Network pulled away further from its closest rival in viewer-rich Luzon and Mega Manila TV ratings this October, according to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, the more widely recognized ratings service. Based on people data surveyed during the period October 24-31 (based on overnight ratings data), GMA scored 37.4 points in audience share in Mega Manila, up by a huge 8.7 points over ABS-CBN’s 28.7 points. Since August, GMA’s lead over competition in Mega Manila has been on a steady rise. GMA outrated ABS by 6.7 share points in August. Its lead went up to seven points in September, and further to 8.7 points in October. In October, 14 out of the overall top 25 programs were from GMA, with seven of GMA’s primetime offerings making it to the top 10. The station’s banner newscast, “24 Oras," led all programs and took the top spot, followed by the recently concluded “Endless Love" with Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes at No. 2. “Illumina," featuring Rhian Ramos, Jackie Rice, and Aljur Abrenica took the No. 3 spot. The upswing in GMA's lead in television ratings is also evident in Urban Luzon, which comprises 77 percent of the total television households nationwide. From a 0.4-point lead in audience share in July, GMA's lead went up to 2.4 points in August, and to three points in September. In October (October 31 based on overnight ratings), GMA posted 35.9 share points in Urban Luzon, which is 4.7 percentage points higher than its rival's 31.2. Out of the top 30 overall programs in Urban Luzon, 16 were from GMA. The network's programs dominated the top ten:

• “24 Oras" early evening newscast;
• “Survivor Philippines Celebrity Edition" hosted by Richard Gutierrez;
• “Ilumina";
• “Grazilda" led by Glaiza De Castro;
• “Endless Love"; and
• the weekend public affairs program “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho."

With the network's strong performance in Mega Manila and Urban Luzon, GMA has pushed forward in the race for nationwide TV ratings supremacy and has consistently narrowed the gap since July. In October’s nationwide ratings, GMA's rival’s lead went down to only 0.6 point in people rating, and to just 3.6 percentage points in audience share. Of the overall top 30 programs nationwide, 16 were from GMA.—JV, GMANews.TV