PBA TV RATINGS AT AN EIGHT-YEAR HIGH; GINEBRA STILL MOST POPULAR TEAM

PBA TV RATINGS AT AN EIGHT-YEAR HIGH; GINEBRA STILL MOST POPULAR TEAM

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 02 Jul 2012

The large crowds that have been trekking to the Smart Araneta Coliseum to watch the PBA games in the last import-reinforced conference has been the highest in the last eight years while the ratings and a survey have confirmed that Ginebra is still the most popular team.

Details of the ratings were released by the PBA and was clearly anchored on the viewership in the classic but controversial seven game Commissioner’s Cup series won by BMeg Llamados over Talk N’ Text.

Statistics from the PBA’s broadcast partner AKTV IBC 13 showed that the recent Commissioner’s Cup was the highest-rated conference in terms of audience share (based on actual TV sets in use during the survey period) and AMR (average per minute rating) since 2004.

The Commissioner’s Cup registered a10.3 share and an AMR of 2.8. This was better than the 9.3 audience share during the 2005 Philippine Cup and the 2.6 AMR last reached during the 2008 Fiesta Cup.

At one point in the overtime period of Game 7 there were more than four million viewers tuned in to AKTV, for an AMR of 9.7 and a 27.4% audience share, beating the big three of GMA-7 (24%), ABS-CBN (19%) and AKTV parent network ABC-5 (17%) in Megamanila.

PBA Commissioner Atty. Chito Salud attributed the rise in ratings to three factors. He said “I feel the fans appreciate the direction of our officiating philosophy and the three-conference format, which shortens each tournament and makes each game seem like a playoff game even during the elimination round.“I also feel that the arrival of a solid rookie class, exciting imports, and a rededication of our players to the game and their fans has restored much of the faith in the PBA as an entertainment and sports marketing platform.”

Buoyed by the ratings and the excellent TV coverage of the games, Salud said “ I wish to commend the efforts of our broadcast partners in AKTV to make the coverage fresher, more fan-friendly and interactive, and the TV viewers have responded by making the PBA part of their regular watching habits anew.”

The ratings figures show that in the first two conferences, viewership on AKTV was much more than the last three airing networks. In the finals alone, AKTV averaged 1.535 million in each minute, compared to 945,000 when the games were telecast on Studio 23, 719,000 when they were aired under the previous ABC 5 management and 258,000 on RPN-9.

Barangay Ginebra remains the top draw in terms of ratings closely followed by the B-Meg Llamados. The surprise in the ratings has been the Powerade Tigers who have shown a tremendous upswing in their average viewership due mainly to their gallant stand in the last Philippine Cup.

The latest ratings indicate the PBA is once again reasserting its leadership position in sports programming in the country.

Source: Philboxing.com