LOPEZ DENIES AYALA'S ENTRY TO ABS-CBN!

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN stockholders approved the cancellation of their pre-emptive rights when the company sells new shares.

ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III says ABS-CBN was one of the few major listed companies where stockholders still had pre-emptive rights.

He says it needed to be removed to give the company better flexibility in raising capital wherever there are willing investors.

ABS-CBN TO COMBINE EQUITY AND DEBT TO FUND SHIFT TO DIGITAL TV!

MANILA -- ABS-CBN Corp. is in talks with various entities to raise funds for its investments for digital television migration and other initiatives, executives said on Tuesday.

"We continue to review our options... we're doing exploratory talks... we're talking to a lot groups, not just banks [and] it can be a combination of equity or debt," Rolando Valdueza, ABS-CBN's chief financial officer, said in a press conference following the firm's annual stockholders' meeting.

MINUTE TO WIN IT REMAINS STRONG DESPITE NEW COMPETITION!

April 10, Wednesday

Daytime:

Unang Hirit! (GMA-7) 3.8%; Umagang Kay Ganda (ABS-CBN) 2.6%; Good Morning Club (TV5) 1.1%; Handy Manny (TV5) 4.3%; Jake And The Neverland Pirates (TV5) 6.7%

Doraemon (GMA-7) 8.8%; Detective Conan (GMA-7) 11.2%; Kris TV (ABS-CBN) 4.4%; Phineas And Ferb (TV5) 7.2%; Johnny Bravo (TV5) 7.2%

LOVE & LIES PREMIER'S STRONG IN MEGA MANILA!

April 9, Tuesday

Morning:

Unang Hirit! (GMA-7) 3%; Umagang Kay Ganda (ABS-CBN) 2.4%; Good Morning Club (TV5) 0.7%; Handy Manny (TV5) 3.3%; Jake And The Neverland Pirates (TV5) 6.5%

Doraemon (GMA-7) 7.4%; Detective Conan (GMA-7) 10.5%; Kris TV (ABS-CBN) 4.9%; Phineas And Ferb (TV5) 5.9%; Johnny Bravo (TV5) 5.7%

Atashin'Chi (GMA-7) 11.4%; Yakitate!! Japan (ABS-CBN) 5.6%; Adventure Time With Finn & Jake (TV5) 5.2%

One Piece (GMA-7) 13.6%; Kuroko's Basketball (ABS-CBN) 5.3%; Ben 10 Ultimate Alien (TV5) 3.9%

Dragon Ball Z Kai (GMA-7) 14.2%; Naruto Shippuden (ABS-CBN) 5.6%; Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (TV5) 3.1%

RYZZA THE RYZZA MAE SHOW DEBUTS STRONGLY IN MEGA MANILA!

Here are the comparative Rating Points of ABS-CBN, TV5, and GMA-7 programs from April 8, 2013, derived by AGB Nielsen Philippines from Mega Manila households:

April 8, Monday

Morning:

PH'S LARGEST BUSINESS GROUPS HEAD ON FOR THE P16-B NAIA EXPRESSWAY PROJECT!

MANILA, Philippines - The San Miguel and Manuel V. Pangilinan-led groups submitted the only two bids for the P16 billion NAIA Expressway project, which is on track to becoming the government's third PPP project. 

In a text message, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the bids are now being evaluated. He said the evaluation will take at least a week before the financial bids are opened.

PLDT GROUP COOLS OFF TO MYANMAR TELCO ENTRY!

MANILA, Philippines—Dominant network Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is cool to the idea of investing in Myanmar’s telecommunications industry, citing the high cost of entry and a competitive landscape that heavily favored locals.

PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said he expected that the two nationwide telecom licenses being bid out by the Myanmar government would be “hotly contested.”

LOPEZ GROUP AIMS TO INVEST IN THE P17-BILLION MACTAN-CEBU AIRPORT EXPANSION!

MANILA, Philippines - The Lopez family's listed holdings firm, First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC), is eyeing a return to infrastructure projects.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Friday, April 5, FPHC said its board approved the participation, through a consortium, in the government's auction of the P17-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport expansion project.

It did not name the consortium of the partners. The Lopez group are among the biggest business groups in the country that are joining the bid to expand and operate the country's 2nd busiest international gateway.

NIELSEN: SMART SUBSCRIBERS SWITCHING TO GLOBE!

SOURCE

MANILA - Globe Telecom on Thursday said it is gaining subscribers at the expense of its main rival, a claim that Smart Communications refuted.

Citing a survey by Nielsen, Globe said 49 percent of SIM switchers came from Smart. Commissioned by Globe, the survey was conducted from January 9 to December 31, 2012, and polled 12,937 respondents in randomly selected areas nationwide.

“Leading the market with innovation and customization, Globe continues to reinforce its position as a strong and formidable challenger in the market with sustained subscriber gains despite the aggressive switching campaigns and negative tirades of our competitors. We are bringing in this huge source of inspiration and motivation as we sustain growth momentum this year and in the years to come,” Ernest Cu, Globe president and chief executive said in a statement.

TV5'S RATINGS SURGE DURING BLACK SATURDAY!

Here are the comparative Rating Points of ABS-CBN, TV5, and GMA-7 programs last March 30, 2013, derived by AGB Nielsen Philippines from Mega Manila households:

March 30, Saturday (Black Saturday)

Dragon Ball Z Kai (GMA-7) 5.9%; Super Book (ABS-CBN) 8.5%; Hey Arnold! The Movie (TV5) 8.7%

Pokemon Theater Presents (GMA-7) 11.2%; Doraemon Adventures Presents (GMA-7) 10.7%; Be Careful With My Heart Sabado Rewind (ABS-CBN) 8.9%; The Prince Of Egypt (TV5) 8.3%

GMA PROGRAMS UNRIVALED DURING GOOD FRIDAY!

Here are the comparative Rating Points of ABS-CBN, TV5, and GMA-7 programs last March 29 , 2013, derived by AGB Nielsen Philippines from Mega Manila households:

March 29, Friday (Good Friday)

Dragon Ball Z Kai (GMA-7) 6.2%; Super Book (GMA-7) 10.1%; The 8th Word (TV5) 1.5%; Rugrats In Paris The Movie Rugrats Ii (TV5) 6.5%

ABS-CBN'S AD RATE MORE THAN HALF A MILLION!

MANILA, Philippines -- Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño on Wednesday revealed a jaw-dropping truth behind placing a 30-second ad spot on National TV. Casiño disclosed the cost for airing a 30-second ad in ABS-CBN which stands for more than half-a-million pesos! It is not yet clear whether the 30% discount for Political Ads aired on National TV is already discounted on the mentioned amount. But if the amount is already discounted, then the real cost for advertising on ABS-CBN is a mind-blowing P769,417.00 for a 30-second ad spot!     

GMA NETWORK KEEPS LEADERSHIP IN MEGA MANILA AND URBAN LUZON!

Broadcast industry leader GMA Network, Inc. (GMA) maintained its dominance in the key areas of Urban Luzon and Mega Manila for the month of March citing data from the more widely recognized ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

For the period March 1 to 31 (March 17 to 31 based on overnight data), GMA registered comfortable leads against rival networks ABS-CBN and TV5 in these two areas particularly important to advertisers.

ABS-CBN REMAINS THE UNDISPUTED NO.1 NETWORK IN MARCH!

More Filipino households across urban and rural homes continue to get their daily dose of news and entertainment from the country’s largest and leading multimedia conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, which topped all TV stations in March (excluding Holy Week) with an average audience share of 41%, or 10 points ahead of GMA’s 31%, based on data from Kantar Media.

Kantar Media uses a nationwide panel size of 2,609 urban and rural homes that represent 100% of the total Philippine TV viewing population, while the other ratings data supplier AGB Nielsen reportedly has only 1,980 homes based solely in urban areas that represent only 57% of the Philippine TV viewing population.

ABS-CBN AND GMA7 RECEIVES BULK OF POLITICAL ADS, COMELEC