ABS-CBN and GMA 7 claimed network supremacy in the past five years based on ratings from Kantar Media and AGB Nielsen, respectively. (Photo credit: Starmometer.com)
Since ABS-CBN accused AGB Nielsen of tampering with its ratings in 2007, they have been subscribing to Kantar Media as its main ratings provider. And since they started their subscription to Kantar, the network has claimed to achieve higher ratings than that of competitor GMA 7 based on Kantar Media’s data. On the contrary, GMA 7 continued to claim ratings leadership in most areas using data from AGB Nielsen. With both media giants claiming their right to be the number one television station in the Philippines based on their respective data from their ratings providers, does it make sense to make claims such as this?
GMA’s No. 1 ‘supremacy’ comes from their afternoon programming, whose block included the 34-year old variety program Eat! Bulaga, its Afternoon Prime series of teleseryes, showbiz talk shows such as Startalk, and public service programs such as Wish Ko Lang. Prior to ABS-CBN’s move to Kantar, its evening programs have been traditionally high-rated. But since the move, ABS-CBN claimed to dominate nightly programming, which included TV Patrol, its Primetime Bida series of teleseryes, Maalala Mo Kaya on Saturdays, and Ganda Gabi Vice on Sundays. And when ‘Be Careful With My Heart’ started airing on late mornings in mid-2012, its cheerful and infectious storyline started taking over a majority of TV sets by the end of the year. As for a new giant in TV5, they are still tinkering with their programming lineup in an attempt to challenge ABS-CBN and GMA 7.
 
 
For the past few days GMA 7 has been airing program advisories regarding the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Robert Guerrero fight for Sunday. The fight, according to the 30-second teaser, is a co-production of GMA 7 and Solar Entertainment. In a truest sense, GMA 7 did not promote the fight by themselves, but rather through a long-term co-production agreement with Solar that included the Manny Pacquiao fights.
The truth is, there is no such thing as ‘GMA Sports’ or a ‘GMA Sports Division’ for any matter. They were there just to collaborate instead of going solo. In fact, in terms of promoting sports programming, GMA 7 is way behind its competitors  ABS-CBN  and TV5. Currently ABS-CBN Sports  produces the  NBA games , the UAAP, Top Rank and ALA boxing, and soccer events such as the  Philippine Azkals  and UEFA Champions League. In addition, its sports cable network Balls currently air  Ultimate Fighting Championship  bouts and various other sports such as golf and tennis. Sports5 produces the PBA games, the NCAA, the PXC, the Smart Gilas team events, and the United Football League, with its cable sports network Hyper airing various other sports events. And GMA 7? Aside from the Pacquiao and Mayweather fights, their only known brand of sports programming is the Shakey’s V-League, currently airing on sister network GMA News TV, as well as its two Sunday programs Sports Pilipinas and All-Sports; the latter contrary to its name airs mostly boxing bouts.
Back in the 1980s, when the Philippines was still recovering from the Ferdinand Marcos regime, GMA 7 was known to air the NBA and NFL games on a delayed basis. During the mid-1990s, their defunct UHF channel Citynet 27 aired NBA games on weekends. At the time, GMA 7 was the network of choice for sports aficionados, with the exception of PBA games aired on PTV-4 and later IBC-13.
Then came ABS-CBN and Studio 23, who started the ABS-CBN Sports Division by founding the defunct MBA, a professional sports league different from the PBA in terms of regional teams and nationwide reach. After the MBA folded, they acquired the rights to air the UAAP, which they still have today. From that point, ABS-CBN Sports grew and prospered, bolstered by the popularity of the UAAP, the Philippine Azkals, and the sport of boxing. In 2008, Balls Channel was established, and acquired the rights to air UFC events a few months later.
Not to be outdone, TV5 started to make a serious bid towards establishing their own sports department. Back when they were  ABC-5 , they acquired the rights to air PBA games in 2004, and continued to air its games until 2008. After a three-year rebuilding program where the network was acquired by Manny Pangilinan and renamed TV5, the network’s sports arm was reestablished as Sports5. They reacquired the rights for PBA games from Solar Entertainment in 2011, and then added the UFL. They then acquired the rights to air the NCAA from ABS-CBN in June 2012. Also that year, their cable sports network Hyper started airing, and made its grand introduction with the blow-by-blow coverage of the London Olympics. Even though the AKTV block on IBC-13 is about to end in May 2013, Sports5 remains committed to the PBA and is looking to air its games on TV5 soon.
With its competitors establishing their own sports arm, GMA 7 tried in vain to put up a bid for the airing of  various sports leagues such as the PBA and UAAP. Unfortunately the lack of a serious bidder and revenue issues hurt GMA 7. So where did they go? They decided to focus on the ‘ Pambansang Kamao ‘, Manny Pacquiao. Through a co-production agreement with Solar Sports, the network began to air delayed and commercial-infested coverage of Pacquiao fights in 2007, and continues to do so today. They even went as far as signing Pacquiao as a talent and gave him programs such as ‘Manny Many Prizes’ and ‘Show Me Da Manny’. Unfortunately, GMA’s decision came back to haunt PacMan, as he lost via knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez in his recent fight. And aside from that, nothing else came from the mouths of GMA management.
So where does GMA 7 go in terms of sports development? As of now, their only known sports programming are Manny Pacquiao fights, the Shakey’s V-League, and its Sports Pilipinas and All-Sports programs on News TV. They are way behind the competition in terms of developing and promoting future athletes. They are too focused towards spending lavishly on their teleseryes and films, along with crafting new programs in desperation against their rivals’ more popular counterparts. Unless they are serious in putting up a bid to air a particular league or promotion in the near future, GMA 7 will always be at the bottom of the pack in terms of bringing quality sports programming to the Filipino.
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Like what I posted, ABS-CBN will air a Cheche Lazaro docu this Sunday and the Star Awards for Music on October 20. I agree with you that it’s a good move on ABS-CBN not to dub its movies in Tagalog.
Before ABS started airing the FPJ movies, the network aired Disney movies in ENGLISH.
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Jc
Sorry for the jift, But I think it would be better if GMA should have the broadcast rights for these: -V-League (which is aside from it and better if GMA should handle the production load) -Solar Entertainment’s boxing matches (which is aside from it and it should be a GMA and Solar co-production -URCC (which may be aside from these) -Men’s National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball and table tennis matches -WNCAA Futsal matches -World Professional Billards League
If we will apply it to my “proposed platforms”, GMA Network will be carrying the final round of these leagues, while the other will be carried on the online-exclusive LifeTV.
By the way, the MNCAA and WNCAA is not related to the NCAA. They are both ‘minor’ collegiate leagues.
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Exactly. Sports events tend to have more camera angles, hence the need of a bigger OB van for the occasion.
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Actually I already saw some of TV5’s ob vans sometime a few years ago just along Araneta Coliseum during perhaps a PBA game. Take note, ginamit pa rin ang lumang van during the ABC-5 days, aside from the new van.
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By August 2013, all of the four major television networks in the US will have their own national sports network.
Before the debut of ESPN in 1979, the only sports coverage available to the American viewer were those on the major and regional terrestrial networks, most of which could not air them live due to programming concerns. Nowadays more and more sports events were being aired live on a daily basis, thanks in part to the growth of cable and satellite television and the establishment of more television networks devoted to sports coverage. But where did it all start?
Bill Rasmussen, his son Scott, and Ed Eagan founded ESPN in September 1979. Originally known as the ‘ Entertainment and Sports Programming Network ‘, ESPN overcame a shaky financial start to position themselves as the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’. Its flagship program SportsCenter became the first news program dedicated exclusively to sports coverage. In the years that followed, ESPN became a global conglomerate, launching sister networks ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS, along with establishing global networks in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.
In 1996, the  Walt Disney Company  acquired a majority stake on ESPN. Gradually ESPN programming were integrated to ABC, starting a long-term integration that eventually became the ESPN on ABC. Today ESPN’s sports properties included the NBA,  Major League Baseball , college football, NFL’s Monday Night Football, college basketball, WNBA, and NASCAR. ESPN was also instrumental in bringing the X Games to the American mainstream; beginning in 1995, the X Games were being held annually during the summer and winter months, even sprouting international versions along the way.
As ESPN prospered during the 1980s, regional sports networks were also being established to provide extensive coverage of the local teams and other sports. Currently there are two major regional sports networks in the  United States :  Fox Sports Networks  and Comcast SportsNet . Fox Sports Networks, originally Fox Sports Net, acquired the SportsChannel and Prime networks in the late 1990s and eventually integrated the Fox Sports name and identity. Comcast SportsNet had its roots in Philadelphia as the Prism Network, before taking the current name in 1997. Soon after CSN either replaced or acquired assets of other regional networks in Washington D.C., Chicago, New England, San Francisco Bay Area and Oregon. In 2011, parent company Comcast acquired a majority stake on NBCUniversal, eventually integrating CSN to the  NBC Sports Group . Other regional sports networks active today include the  MSG networks  in the New York area, Root Sports, the YES Network, NESN, and Time Warner Cable Sports.
As sports coverage grew, so did the urge of forming their own national sports network. The CBS Sports Network had its roots as the  National College Sports Network . Formed in 2002, the network focused mostly on coverage of college sports. After CBS acquired the network in 2008, it was renamed into the CBS College Sports Network before adopting its current name in 2011 in an effort to add more sports coverage. Currently the network airs the NBA Development League, Arena Football League and extensive US Open coverage, aside from college sports. CBS Sports coverage of the NFL, the US NCAA and professional golf were also given supplementary coverage by the network.
The  NBC Sports Network  had its roots as the Outdoor Life Network, founded in 1995. As the name suggests, the network aired mostly outdoor adventure programming. By the time it was renamed Versus in 2006, it had supplanted outdoor-related programming in favor of sports coverage. In 2011, Versus’ parent company Comcast acquired NBCUniversal, and gradually integrated NBC Sports programming to the network, culminating in the launch of the NBC Sports Network on New Year’s Day 2012. Currently the network airs the NHL, Major League Soccer, Formula One and Indycar racing, the English Premier League, the summer and winter Olympics, and various college sports.
In the summer of 2013, Fox planned to establish a new national sports network. The new network Fox Sports 1 is expected to make its debut in August and will air extensive coverage of Major League Baseball, club and international soccer, college sports, NASCAR and other racing events, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The new network replaces Speed, a sports network devoted to auto racing. Fox also planned to rename Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 in the near future.
With the debut of Fox Sports 1, all of the ‘Big Four’ television networks in the US will have their own sports network. Today’s sports coverage in the US is vastly different from where it was in the 1970s, all due to technological advancements, viewer population and the growth of professional and college sports as a business. And it only continues to grow in the future.
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In 2008, the  Manila Broadcasting Company  acquired the 96.3 frequency and renamed it  Easy Rock . Though it shares a similar format as its previous incarnation W-Rock, it increasingly started to add songs from the Hot AC category that sister stations Yes! FM and Love Radio use. (Logo courtesy of Manila Broadcasting Company)
Before the Manila Broadcasting Company acquired the 96.3 frequency in Metro Manila, 96.3 W-Rock was the station of choice for a majority of the white collar, upper class audience. The format is basic and straight-forward, consisting of a combination of classic and modern hits from the Adult Contemporary and  soft rock  formats. On Fridays, older listeners tune in to Friday Classics, featuring hits from the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. At 8 am and 8 pm, ballads and mid-tempo singles gave way to dance tracks, courtesy of the program Past Dance. And at 3:30 pm, listeners enjoy three straight songs from the same artist or band, known as Three of a Kind. In 2008 however, a change of ownership and style was about to unfold.
That year, ACWS-United Broadcasting Network sold the 96.3 frequency to the Manila Broadcasting Company. Subsequently the W-Rock name was dropped and MBC adopted the station name Easy Rock on the said frequency. W-Rock was briefly revived as an online station before it closed shop two years later. At first, Easy Rock featured almost the same playlist as its predecessor, along with a ‘less talk, more music’ feel, but for the past few years, they deemphasized up-and-coming and current AC hits in favor of older songs, some of which go as far as the 1970s. In addition, on-air jocks were also being used in an effort to widen their audience. This ‘change’ made me wonder if Easy Rock had turned into a ‘pang-masa’ station.
Listening to Easy Rock lately has been unbearable. They added songs that are more for the masses than for the upper class. To think that Easy Rock is a lite rock station is both an insult and a disgrace. MBC, who built  101.1 Yes! FM  and  90.7 Love Radio  to the top of the Philippine radio hierarchy, seem to influence the evolving playlist of Easy Rock. They managed to relegate some of current and modern AC songs in favor of power ballads such as those from Nazareth, Scorpions and Air Supply. Such a change made me realize that Easy Rock is becoming a more manipulated clone of MBC’s two other stations, albeit in a softer format.
In contrast, W-Rock features only a playlist aimed for A, B and C social classes. The latter is also well-polished, sweet and pleasant to listen to. In fact, back in my youth, I grew up listening to W-Rock because of its ‘less talk, more music’ feel, which means that music is the star of the station rather than the on-air personality. W-Rock’s playlist is also incomparable. You can listen to a pop ballad by a 90s boyband such as the Backstreet Boys first, then follow it up with a classic hit single from either the 80s or the late 70s, and so on. And they feature none of the excesses aimed at the masses. So when it comes to the best combination of the classic and modern Adult Contemporary playlist, W-Rock is the best.
To this day, I continue to despise Easy Rock for its adoption of a softer, older and less controversial playlist from its sister stations at MBC. And even with W-Rock already faded into history, it remains an influential station for listeners who still enjoy its playlist and approach.
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If this is the case, then I don’t know why Easy Rock became the no. 1 FM station “to tune in in the office.”
At least, here in Cebu, WRock is still alive, and it’s my favorite FM station since 2013 (not Easy Rock). On the other hand, very few Cebuanos listen to 102.7 Easy Rock because of your opinion. They agreed with you. Also, Easy Rock Cebu has very few or no commercials on their breaks, aside from those of ACS Manufacturing Corporation. Even some of my favorite upscale things in Cebu, like Ayala Center Cebu and Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, doesn’t even advertise on Easy Rock. Why won’t they advertise on Easy Rock 102.7 Cebu if their target market is ABC+, just like WRock? Just asking.
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WRocK Cebu is the sole remaining radio station owned by ACWS-UBN. Following 96.3’s sale to MBC, ACWS-UBN tried to keep WRocK alive as an internet radio service, but lack of listener and financial support forced ACWS-UBN to shutter the service in 2010 along with its Bacolod station DYKR. The year before, ACWS-UBN sold its Davao station DXKR to Trans-Radio Broadcasting Corporation (former owner of 99.5 RT), transforming into 95.5 Hit Radio (DXDJ) whose playlist consists of hits from the 60’s to the 90’s (predating Retro DCG in the classic hits/throwback music radio department in the Philippines).
I think significant listener loyalty allows WRocK Cebu to keep on the air. That station has an active Facebook fan page.
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Speaking about the Cebu versions of Easy Rock (102.7) and WRocK (96.3), whenever I read inSun.Star Cebu (my favorite newspaper in Cebu) ads about local or international singers performing in Cebu, usually in the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, when I check the media partners, I don’t see 102.7 Easy Rock on the list of media partners. Just 96.3 WRocK.
Even if I don’t like Easy Rock, I also listen to it, but only for FM spying (similar to DXing). The worse part on Easy Rock (all) is that too much ACS Manufacturing Corporation’s products’ radio commercials are being aired on the station, as well as in Love Radio (all) and YES! FM (all). All means all of its stations nationwide.
For me, it’s OK to have ACS Manufacturing Corporation advertise on the MBC stations, but except Easy Rock. Also, the ad loads of ACS Manufacturing Corporation’s ads in the commercial breaks of YES! FM Cebu (91.5) and Easy Rock Cebu (102.7) are too much, which cheapens these stations.
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Also, I heard another mass-oriented radio commercial on Easy Rock last year for Frooty Pop, a lollipop manufactured by Columbia, the same manufacturers of Potchi Candy.
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If that’s the case, then it is presumed that these products are also being advertised on Win Radio, iFM, Barangay LS, Energy FM and MOR, based on these assumptions.
About the only good thing for Easy Rock is that they play some songs typically found on CHR and AC stations, albeit lighter ones to fit their theme. As masa-fied as they are, they…