ABS-CBN, the largest and leading multimedia conglomerate in the country, continued to dominate nationwide TV viewing across urban and rural homes in September with an average national audience share of 42%, or ten points higher than GMA’s 32%, according to data from Kantar Media.
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% of the total Philippine TV viewing population, while AGB Nielsen reportedly represents only 57% of the Philippine TV viewing population.
A recent Kantar Media study also revealed that there are differences in the viewing preferences between urban and rural homes that will be important for advertisers in making ad placement decisions.
Meanwhile, for the month of September, more households tuned in to ABS-CBN’s primetime block that registered a national audience share of 48% or 18 points higher than GMA’s 30%. ABS-CBN also ruled primetime viewing in Luzon where it hit an average audience share of 43% versus GMA’s 33%; in the Visayas with 55% against GMA’s 26%; and in Mindanao with 62% or more than three times bigger than GMA’s 18%.
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 to P1.72 billion in the same period.
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.
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.
