ABS-CBN, GMA claim ratings lead anew in Feb

MANILA, Philippines - The ratings war between rivals ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc. continued to heat up in February.

The Lopez owned ABS-CBN said it maintained its leadership in nationwide TV viewing across urban and rural homes in February with an average national audience share of 42 percent versus GMA’s 35 percent.

ABS-CBN said it also dominated the primetime block from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight with an average audience share of 48 percent compared to the 31 percent of GMA.

The primetime block is the most important part of the day for the networks when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investments to reach more consumers.

It also dominated the late afternoon block from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a share of 39 percent in February.

In a separate statement, GMA said it was able to hold on to its unbeaten record in the important areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, where it continued to lead across all day parts.

In Urban Luzon, GMA recorded a total day household audience share of 36.9 percent, 6.9 points higher than ABS-CBN’s 30 percent and 28 points higher than TV5’s 8.9 percent.

It also retained its dominance in Mega Manila with 38.7 percent average, surpassing ABS-CBN’s 26.7 percent by 12 points and TV5’s 9.2 percent by 29.5 points.

Urban Luzon and Mega Manila account for 77 and 59 percent, respectively, of all urban TV households in the country.

Meanwhile, GMA came ahead of its counterparts in NUTAM (National Urban TV Audience Measurement) in the daytime blocks.

GMA’s morning audience share reached 32.8 percent, up 2.1 points from ABS-CBN’s 30.7 percent and up 22.9 points from TV5’s 9.9 percent.

In the afternoon block, GMA beat competition with its 35.8 percent average, ahead of ABS-CBN’s 30 percent by 5.8 points as well as TV5’s 10.3 percent by 25.5 points.