TFC is most watched multicultural channel in US

MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN Corp.’s international network The Filipino Channel (TFC) has sustained its position as the most watched multicultural platform in the US, according to media analytics Comscore.

In a report, Comscore said that close to 249,000 households in the US watched TFC for a total of 18 million hours   between June 27 and July 31, a period that covers the end of the first semester and the start of the second half.

Comscore said TFC, ABS-CBN’s flagship channel for overseas viewers, captured 50 percent of the US market, leaping ahead of the competition among multicultural platforms.

On the other hand, GMA Pinoy TV and Sony came in next to TFC, cornering 26 percent and 15 percent of the viewers, respectively. Aapka and PHNA rounded up the list with eight percent and one percent of the market, respectively.

According to Comscore, 57 percent of TFC viewers subscribe to both TFC and GMA Pinoy TV, while the other 43 percent watch TFC shows only. On the contrary, 81 percent of GMA Pinoy TV viewers spend time on TFC as well, leaving just 19 percent as GMA-only subscribers.

“The study also showed that there are 221 percent more TFC-only viewers as compared to the number two network, which means that advertising on TFC already reaches 81 percent of GMA viewers in the US,” ABS-CBN said.

Comscore said that TFC beat GMA Pinoy TV on every time slot, whether on a weekday or on a weekend, especially during daytime periods.

On weekdays, at least 182,000 households watch TFC between nine in the morning and four in the afternoon against GMA Pinoy TV’s 120,000, while on weekends around 157,000 households tune to TFC during the same timeframe compared to GMA Pinoy TV’s 100,000.

Even for the primetime hours, TFC captured 171,000 households on weekdays and 140,000 on weekends. GMA Pinoy TV, for its part, recorded 116,000 households on weekdays and 102,000 on weekends.

Likewise, Comscore said all of the top shows except for one listed during the period were aired on TFC. These shows include FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano—ABS-CBN’s longest-running drama that ended in August—2 Good 2 Be True and TV Patrol Global Edition.

“Another key metric of TFC’s domination among multicultural networks is that 49 of the period’s top 50 shows are from TFC,” ABS-CBN said.