The dispute has led to a US$1.5 million civil lawsuit filed by ABS-CBN, the country’s leading broadcaster, which accuses the media research company of releasing TV ratings from metered households that have taken bribes.
Authorities have ordered AGB Nielsen to stop gathering data and releasing nationwide TV ratings for 20 days.
Authorities have ordered AGB Nielsen to stop gathering data and releasing nationwide TV ratings for 20 days.
Alec Pang, business unit director of OMD Philippines, commented: “Both stations have presented their claims and we have heard both sides of the story. We are giving Nielsen time to investigate and validate their ratings.”
A statement from ABS-CBN chairman and CEO, Eugenio Lopez III, read: “We have discovered what can only be viewed as a systematic, organised and well-funded attempt to cheat the ratings system.”
AGB Nielsen has in turn pointed to GMA Network staff who, they claim, have bribed metered households in Bacolod City to influence ratings in the area.
GMA Network, the second-largest TV network in the country, has denied the accusations and has threatened to sue for libel.
A GMA Network statement read: “(We are) equally interested to get to the bottom of this allegation and (are) determined to find out if the ratings survey can indeed be tampered with.”
OMD’s Pang added: “While we are questioning the validity of Nielsen’s ratings, we hope the stations can refrain from airing their grievances publicly. It’s not the proper thing to do. The viewers don’t understand the argument.
“Our concern is more with the validity of the ratings. We want assurances from Nielsen that the ratings that they’re presenting have not been breached or tampered.”
An AGB Nielsen spokes-man said that the company would not comment further as the case remains open.
However, Nielsen continues to make its data available to the media industry.
The row is the latest cooling of relations between the two rival networks.
In December 2006, GMA Network made public its discontent with ratings for its programmes that aired on cable channels owned by ABS-CBN, claiming that ABS-CBN had an inside source at AGB Nielsen.
GMA Network president of marketing Manuel Quiogue suggested that ABS-CBN programmes aired on ABS-CBN-owned channels Sky Cable and Home Cable enjoyed “a significant advantage in ratings over other cable companies”.
Nielsen general manager Maya Reforma responded with a letter to the industry to reaffirm the integrity of the company’s data.
The latest dispute is expected to be settled by the end of this month.
