Pacquiao match topped ratings in Nov.

The network’s Nov. 15 telecast of the welterweight title bout between Pacquiao and Puerto Rican pugilist Miguel Cotto was the most watched weekend program last month, with almost half of surveyed TV viewers nationwide tuning in to the fight.


The delayed broadcast of the 12-round fight that saw Mr. Pacquiao winning his seventh world boxing title scored a national audience rating of 45.2%.


The primer shown by GMA Network on the same day before the delayed broadcast of the boxing match received a national audience rating 28.1%, ending up fourth in the Top 10 list of most watched weekend programs last month.


Meanwhile, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.’s nightly primetime newscast TV Patrol World remained the most watched weekday program nationwide for the second straight month as of last November, as viewers tune in to the news in run-up for the filing of certificates of candidacies for next year’s elections.


Based on the national urban TV audience measurement (NUTAM) survey conducted by media research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) from Nov. 1 to 30, TV Patrol World posted an average monthly national household rating of 34.8%.


Its rival newscast, 24 Oras by GMA Network, Inc., also improved its national audience share to settle at eighth place with a rating of 25.1% last month, from a rating of 23.5% in October.


Candidates had from Nov. 20 up until midnight on Dec. 1 to file their certificates of candidacies for the May 2010 national polls.


Weekend viewing


ABS-CBN’s Saturday fantasy series Agimat: Alamat ni Ramon Revilla finished November with an audience rating of 33% to settle for second place among shows aired during weekends, followed by the Saturday edition of ABS-CBN’s newscast, TV Patrol World with 30.3%.


The rest of the Top 10 weekend programs all came from ABS-CBN. In fifth place was the musical game show The Singing Bee with 27.1%, followed by the longest-running drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya with 26.9%.


The Sunday evening news-magazine program Rated K: Handa na Ba Kayo? scored an average rating of 26.7% last month to finish seventh, followed by the musical talk show Sharon with 25.2%, and the Saturday afternoon public affairs program Failon Ngayon with 23.8%.


Rounding out the Top 10 list of most watched weekend programs nationwide was the children’s gag show Goin’ Bulilit with an average national household rating of 23%.


End of run


Former top weekday program, ABS-CBN’s nightly drama series May Bukas Pa, ended in second place among weekday programs nationwide, with an average national household rating of 34.5%, followed by ABS-CBN’s teenage drama series Katorse, with 30.1%


In fourth place was the Filipino version of the Korean drama series Lovers in Paris. The ABS-CBN show scored an average monthly rating of 29.2%. The program, which stars Piolo Pascual and KC Concepcion is set to end its 10-week run this Friday.


The nightly fantasy series Darna remained the most watched GMA Network TV program nationwide, scoring an average rating of 28.4% last month to settle at fifth place. It was followed by ABS-CBN’s drama series Dahil May Isang Ikaw, with 27.2%.


GMA Network’s adaptation of the popular Korean drama series Stairway to Heaven ended November in seventh place, with a rating of 26.4%. The show, featuring young stars Dingdong Dantes and Rhian Ramos, will have its final episode this Friday, after airing for the past three months.


In ninth and 10th places are two ABS-CBN shows: the reality series Pinoy Big Brother Double Up with a rating of 23.2%; and the noontime show Wowowee with 21.9%.


Doubts on ratings


TNS started setting up its TV audience measurement panel at the start of 2007. It has been releasing ratings data to TV networks and advertising agencies since September 2007.


TNS first officially released its national TV audience measurement data last February. TNS bases its survey results on a panel of 1,370 representative households from the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) and its suburbs (called Mega Manila), North Luzon, Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.


GMA Network reiterated its doubts over the national ratings results being released by TNS. The network ceased subscribing to the ratings reports since early this year. GMA instead relies on the ratings data provided by market research firm AGB Nielsen Philippines.


AGB Nielsen Philippines is a subsidiary of AGB Nielsen Media Research, which is a joint venture formed by the Audits of Great Britain (AGB) Group, and the Television Audience Measurement (TAM) business of The Nielsen Company in March 2005.


AGB Nielsen Philippines has been providing TAM data for Philippine broadcasters and advertisers since 1992 as Nielsen Media Research and from 1999 as AGB Philippines.


In October 2006, AGB Nielsen established the country’s first national TAM panel called the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM).


More than a year later, ABS-CBN filed a civil case against AGB Nielsen in December 2007 after the Lopez-led media giant allegedly discovered tampering in the ratings in Bacolod. However, a Quezon City regional trial court junked the case in January 2008, saying that it was prematurely filed.


GMA Network said that AGB Nielsen Philippines and TNS Media Research generated different TV ratings results for the TV stations during the third quarter of the year.


"In primetime, TNS data showed ABS-CBN’s programs leading by 9 to 10 points ratings over GMA’s. Audience share of ABS-CBN’s primetime block were at 50 to 51 points according to TNS," GMA Network said in a statement furnished to BusinessWorld.


"But according to AGB Nielsen’s NUTAM, ABS-CBN’s primetime shows had an average rating of 27.8%, up by only 5.8% over GMA’s. ABS-CBN’s audience share based on AGB was only at 44.6%, lower than the 50% to 51% share recorded by TNS," the Gozon-led network said.


GMA Network asserted that while national TV ratings are dominated by ABS-CBN, viewers in urban Luzon and Mega Manila remain loyal to the Kapuso channel.


"In Urban Luzon, which accounts for 77% of the total urban TV population in the country, GMA posted a 1.5-point lead over competition with an average channel rating of 16.2% versus ABS-CBN’s 14.7% according to AGB Nielsen. GMA also posted a 3.5-percentage point lead in audience share with an average of 38.5% versus ABS-CBN’s 35% during the third quarter," GMA Network said.


The network added that it has booked 10 spots in AGB Nielsen’s list of overall top 20 programs in Urban Luzon for October, with Darna leading all programs in the roster with an average rating of 31.1%.


"In viewer-rich Mega Manila, which accounts for 49% of total TV households, GMA outperformed the competition with an average channel rating of 17.5%, up by 3.5 percentage points over ABS-CBN’s 14% according to AGB. GMA had an average audience share of 40%, 8 percentage points higher than competition’s 32%," GMA Network said.


GMA Network claimed that it secured 12 spots in the AGB Nielsen’s list of overall top 20 programs in Mega Manila, with Darna, 24 Oras, and Stairway to Heaven as the top three TV shows on the list.