The glaring drop in local noontime viewership is reflected by the continuous decline in the TV ratings of Eat Bulaga, albeit remaining as the number one show in its time slot.
It is mysterious why the noontime block remains the most impacted among viewer-rich time blocks on local television, when the rise of digital streaming platforms prompted traditional TV viewers to shift from television to the likes of Netflix, Viu, iWantTFC, and CignalPlay, among others.
Primetime viewership has been significantly chipped, with the current number one drama barely making it past a 15% people rating, when we’re used to seeing the number one hitting above 20%. What makes them even more surprising, is the fact that ABS-CBN, which used to attract the biggest chunk of local television viewership before, has been practically erased from the face of the free TV competition. Of course, many of its programs have already made a successful free TV comeback through ABS-CBN’s various block time deals with other TV networks, but the drop in overall TV viewership remains staggering.
It is easier to understand how much audience traditional television has lost when you realize that even after losing a strong rival, Eat Bulaga, GMA Network’s daily noontime show, continues to sink in viewership. It has plunged to a historic low of 3.8%, according to AGB Nielsen’s National Urban TV Measurement (NUTAM) data on May 18, Wednesday. It marks the first time the show’s people rating went below 4%.
To realize how starkly low Eat Bulaga’s rating is, let’s look at its pre-pandemic and pre-ABS-CBN shutdown numbers. According to AGB Nielsen, the show rated 7.1% on February 14. Its main competition back then, was ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime, with a 5.1% people rating. Even against It’s Showtime’s previous TV rating, Eat Bulaga’s current rating now can not compete. The show lost nearly half of its audience when ABS-CBN’s free TV departure even allowed it to attract an even bigger viewership.
It is hard to say whether the return of live audiences to noontime shows will stimulate interest among TV viewers, and allow shows like Eat Bulaga and It’s Showtime to gain a following again.
But if that is going to be the case, then TV networks are truly in big trouble, as the pandemic may still discourage them from allowing their studios open to the public again.
