ABS CBN, GMA both claim top spot

MANILA, Philippines - Two leading broadcasting firms claimed ratings leadership in surveys conducted by different companies for the month of October.

In a survey conducted by Kantar Media, ABS-CBN Corp. remained undisputed in national TV viewership with an average national audience share of 42 percent, or a 10-point lead versus the 32 percent of GMA Broadcasting Inc. in October as most urban and rural households spent more time watching ABS-CBN programs.

ABS-CBN also enjoyed a staggering 20-point lead in primetime (6 PM-12 MN) with an average audience share of 48 percent, while GMA suffered a slight decrease to 28 percent from 30 percent last month. The primetime block is the most important part of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investment in to reach more consumers efficiently.

Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes, more than AGB Nielsen’s 1,980 homes that are only based in urban areas. Kantar Media’s panel represents 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population, while AGB Nielsen reportedly represents only 57 percent of the Philippine TV viewing population.

ABS-CBN also led in total day audience share in Balance Luzon (areas in Luzon outside Mega Manila) with a 42 percent audience share against GMA’s 35 percent; in the Visayas with 49 percent vs 27 percent; and in Mindanao where it averaged 54 percent or more than two times bigger than GMA’s 21 percent.

Kantar Media is a leading television (TV) audience measurement provider with capabilities in gathering TV viewing data in both digital and analog platforms. It 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.

Meanwhile, GMA claimed it ruled over rival stations in nationwide TV ratings covering the first 10 months of the year based on a survey conducted by ratings provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

From January to October 2012 (October 28 to 31 based on overnight data), GMA posted an average total day (6 AM to 12 MN) household audience share of 34.8 percent in National Urban Philippines (NUTAM); ahead of ABS-CBN’s 31.4 percent by 3.4 points and TV5’s 14.9 percent by 19.9 points.