ABS-CBN, GMA retain ratings

MANILA, Philippines - Listed ABS-CBN Corp. continued to top nationwide television ratings, while GMA Network Inc. maintained its lead in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila in June.

In a statement issued over the weekend, ABS-CBN said it accounted for 47 percent of the total day national audience share in June based on the data provided by Kantar Media.

ABS-CBN’s total day national audience share was much higher than GMA Network Inc.’s 32 percent and TV5’s six percent.

Kantar Media which provides TV audience measurement, uses a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes representing 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population.

By area, ABS-CBN also won over its rivals. It had a huge lead in the Visayas with a 57 percent audience share, while GMA accounted for only 24 percent and TV5 had seven percent.

In Mindanao, ABS-CBN was also the leader with a 57 percent share in June compared to GMA’s 26 percent and TV5’s seven percent.

For the whole of Luzon, the Kapamilya network dominated the ratings war with a 41 percent audience share, ahead of GMA’s 36 percent and TV5’s six percent.

ABS-CBN likewise ruled the primetime block or the most important part of the day, by obtaining a 49 percent average audience share, bigger than GMA’s 31 percent and TV5’s seven percent.

The primetime block which starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 12 midnight, is when firms put the bulk of their advertising budget as this is when most Filipinos tune in to their TV sets.

ABS-CBN also saw high viewership of shows through online video-on-demand services on TFC.tv which caters to those living overseas, and on iWant TV for those residing in the country.

Meanwhile, GMA said it kept its advantage in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, which account for 77 percent and 60 percent respectively, of all urban TV households in the country, based on data from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.