ABS-CBN claims dominance in last year’s TV ratings

ABS-CBN Corp. claimed to have dominated the nationwide ratings war in 2018, asserting it captured almost half of Philippine households last year.

Citing data from ratings provider Kantar Media, the Lopez-led company said it cornered 45 percent of the nationwide audience share in 2018, a 13-point lead versus its direct competitor GMA Network Inc.’s 32-percent share.

In Metro Manila, considered GMA’s bailiwick, ABS-CBN scored an average audience share of 42 percent, or 16 points higher than competition, while claiming the lead in Mega Manila, where it netted 36 percent over the competitor’s 34-percent share. Among all time blocks, ABS-CBN gained the highest viewership in primetime with an average audience share of 49 percent, 17 points higher than that of GMA’s.

The prime-time 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 effectively. It also fared batter than the competitor in the morning block, where it scored 38 percent versus GMA’s 30 percent; noontime block with 44 percent versus the competitor’s 33 percent; and afternoon block, where it cornered 43 percent of the Philippine households, as opposed to GMA’s 35 percent.

The Lopez-led broadcaster also attracted more viewers than GMA in other areas. It won the ratings game in Total Luzon with an average totalday audience share of 40 percent, versus GMA’s 35 percent; in Total Visayas with 53 percent versus GMA’s 26 percent; and in Total Mindanao with 52 percent, versus GMA’s 28 percent. Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes that represent 100 percent of the total Philippine TV viewing population. GMA bases its ratings from Nielsen’s monthly and annual consumer reports.