Eat Bulaga, alone, used to rate higher than all the combined ratings of these three noontime shows today.
It is no surprise that local television viewership has drastically declined over just two years. It is a global trend that has taken a toll in television industries of many countries, as consumers continue to hop on the ‘cutting-the-cord’ and streaming bandwagons. Netflix, Disney+, Viu, and even YouTube have become more reliable alternatives for traditional viewing, and it may only take time before they become the more dominant mode of content consumption for viewers.
In the Philippines, the shift to non-parallel viewing and streaming services only made a dramatic spike when pandemic began, but the presence of the likes of iWantTFC, Vivamax, and global streaming mammoths like Netflix and YouTube, have somewhat ensured we’re also poised to duplicate the international craze.
And then the ABS-CBN shutdown happened. It did not only make the choices fewer for Filipino viewers, it also inadvertently directed them towards digital platforms, where original contents have been thriving for the audience’s consumption. The biggest brunt of this downswing in TV viewership seems to manifest in the meager ratings of the three highest-rated noontime shows. Primetime blocks have also noticeably suffered steep declines, but the noontime slots plunged harder.
Currently, there are three noon-time shows whose daily ratings average at least 1%, based on AGB Nielsen’s National Urban TV Measurement (NUTAM) People data. These shows are GMA Network’s Eat Bulaga, ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime (aired on A2Z Channel 11 and Kapamilya Channel), and TV5’s Lunch Out Loud. Based on the latest AGB Nilesen NUTAM data, Eat Bulaga rated 4.2% on Thursday, March 17. ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime, meanwhile, managed to get 2.0%, even though it’s currently only available through A2Z Channel 11, on free TV. TV5’s Lunch Out Loud, missed the Top 30, which means it was unable to rate higher than 1.5%.
In comparison to their pre-pandemic numbers, a more than 50% reduction can be observed on the combined viewership of Eat Bulaga and It’s Showtime. Based on the January 10, 2020 data from AGB Nielsen, these two shows rated 7.4% and 5.3% respectively. Eat Bulaga, alone, lost nearly half of its original audience. It’s worth noting that ABS-CBN remains largely unavailable on free television, so one would expect Eat Bulaga to rate even higher. However, that is not the case, as the forty-decade old program plunged in viewership, even in the absence of its major rival.
With streaming services seemingly poised to attract further patrons, the fate of noon-time shows—at least on free television—hangs in the balance. It’s Showtime has somewhat established a solid presence on YouTube and ABS-CBN’s streaming service, iWantTFC, but other noon-time shows are yet to create a similar presence.
