ABS-CBN Corporation, the country’s largest multimedia conglomerate, dominated TV viewing in the country in June and pulled away from its rival GMA nationwide following Kantar Media’s new, expanded data that now covers rural areas across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Kantar Media, one of the country’s leading television (TV) audience measurement providers with capabilities in gathering TV viewing data in both digital and analog platforms, now has total of 6.315 million homes in rural areas across the Philippines (North Luzon, Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) added to its existing 8.820 million homes in urban areas, bringing the total TV universe to 15.135 million homes nationwide. Kantar Media’s audience panel now covers and represents 100% of the total Philippine TV viewing population.
Data from Kantar Media’s combined urban and rural TV audience measurement survey showed that ABS-CBN’s average national audience share hit 42% on total day or a ten-point lead versus GMA with 32%. ABS-CBN strengthened its performance especially in the last week of June where it obtained an average audience share of 43% from June 24-30 against GMA’s 31%.
ABS-CBN also showed a remarkable improvement on daytime (6AM to 6PM) as its afternoon series “Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo” was the top daytime weekday program from June 24-30 with an average audience share of 47% beating “Eat Bulaga” which had an average audience share of only 40% for the same period.
The Kapamilya Network also made Philippine TV history as its phenomenal drama “Walang Hanggan” topped all primetime weekday programs with a whopping 45% rating last Friday (June 29).
ABS-CBN further bolstered its undisputed leadership for the whole month of June in primetime (6PM to 12MN) when most Filipinos spend time watching TV and advertisers put their investments to reach more consumers efficiently, as it hit a whopping 51% audience share or half of the Philippine TV households tuning in to ABS-CBN and almost twice more than GMA’s audience share of 27%.
ABS-CBN continued its winning streak across other territories in primetime. In Metro Manila, ABS-CBN beat its rival with an average audience share of 37% vs GMA’s 32%. ABS-CBN also challenged GMA in Mega Manila with an audience share of 36%, slightly higher than Kapuso’s 34%.ABS-CBN also managed to trounce competition in Luzon with bulk of its primetime viewership coming from Total South Luzon where ABS-CBN scored an average audience share of 63% vs GMA’s 20%. ABS-CBN, on the other hand, hit an audience share of 53% vs GMA’s 27% in Total Balance Luzon or areas outside Mega Manila; and 53% vs 27% in Total North Luzon.
Meanwhile, in the VisMin regions, ABS-CBN Primetime Bida remains undisputed with an audience share of 60% vs GMA’s 22% in the Visayas and 66% or four times bigger than GMA’s 16% in Mindanao.
This dominance was mainly driven by ABS-CBN’s top-caliber primetime offerings that continue to gain significant increases as more and more viewers watch them on weekday nights.
ABS-CBN registered a net income of P2.4 billion for the full year 2011, while news media reported that GMA Network net income plummeted P1.72 billion in the same period.
Kantar Media, 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. Among its current subscribers are ABS-CBN, NBN, Sky Cable, J. Romero and Associates, 720ConsumerConnect, Starcom, OMD, PhD, Mediacom, Mindshare, MEC, Maxus, Universal McCann, Wellmade Manufacturing Corporation, Brand Ideas, and MPG Havas. They also include pan-regional networks like CSM Media Inc., Fox International Channels, Star HK, Discovery, AXN, HBO, MTV, Sony Pictures Television International, Celestial Tiger, and A&E Television Network. Among these, the following subscribe to both urban and rural TV audience measurement: ABS-CBN, Brand Ideas, MPG Havas, and 720ConsumerConnect.
ABS-CBN shifted to Kantar Media/TNS after filing a case vs. AGB Nielsen Media Research for failing to comply with its request to investigate alleged cheating and data tampering in TV ratings. The case is still pending in court contrary to claims by GMA, which is not a party to the case, that it has been resolved.
