This past few days and weeks Filipino tv viewers are either getting excited, tire, or bored on what will be the next episode on the lawsuit battle of Kapamilya ABS CBN versus AGB Nielsen Survey Company versus Kapuso GMA. Let me slice it to segments...
The Beginning
(...or part of it...)
(...or part of it...)
This all started on the anomaly that houses in Bacolod where AGB Nielsen gets their survey on what programs are gaining high rates are allegedly been influenced/tampered/won over by people working from GMA 7 in Bacolod. This was supported by a woman who work in that company("the star witness") with interviews and sworn statement seen in news and current affairs shows of ABS CBN. What followed next was a series of continuous repetitious ad campaigns exposing that GMA was behind the said tampering.
The Reason
While we were on Sociology class our discussion unintentionally turned to the bout of the two major Philippine TV companies which was kinda funny and odd for we are discussing the pioneers of Sociology, what you say? Yup you're right we are way ahead of the discussion and maybe the reason is obvious. Mr. de la Cruz, my sociology professor (who if you can remember from my "Fish Bowl Theory...") told us the reasons why even from a small region of Bacolod(in the Philippines) ABS CBN complained and made the anomaly into an awareness ad campaign is because of some factors. (1) First is that the surveys that AGB Nielsen releasing are the basis of the advertising companies on what tv shows are a hit and mostly viewed by the Filipinos. Upon having the data Advertising agencies/companies will then invest on these shows via form of television commercials, which is the main source of income of the television companies. FYI: A 30 second tv commercial ad can cost as much as over millions of pesos. Of course ad companies are not stupid enough to invest on tv shows that are not a hit, that is why surveys like of AGB Nielsen is one of their sources. Millions of investment will eventually return to these ad companies as TV viewers watch and patronize the said products. (2) and the second reason is that television companies could see what tv shows on their time slot are a hit and what stinks. TV Companies upon receiving the said surveys (of what shows are not gaining good/high ratings) can act to fast pace these low rating shows so that it can end quickly for a new and hoping to hit show will replace the previous show and so that Ad companies will invest their millions on their new hit show (gasp! mahn that was tiring hehehe)
The Effect on the Avid or Filipino TV viewers
(get ready...)
After the explanation of my professor, I butt in (hehehe what a term). I mentioned on how these TV Companies always shows off how they "condemn" war and violence and "uniting" the Filipino people, but look at what they're doing now, they are not helping the Filipinos at all. Filipinos have lives of their own like problems and struggles and with these series of "Hate" and "Credibility-destroying" advertisement awareness campaigns against each other isn't doing any good for everyone. This is reflected at how discussions on forum sites, blog sites, that devotes its whole page in what comes next in the fight of ABS CBN and GMA. Kapusos and Kapamilyas are almost killing each other and throwing really nasty remarks at each other, and the reason? Defending their beloved tv stations. Come on! People, don't be used by these war mongering greedy companies, they hide in this illusion of they are serving you but the truth is that you are serving them... Are all their shows enriching?
Lastly will they just stop these ads already, answering each other on air is not healthy for competition, advertisers, and mostly the Filipino TV viewers. Can they just settle it in court and not dividing Filipinos on what to believe. It is like two child fighting over something and then telling their parents. Parents then comes to the aid of his/her son and the elders who knows better meddles with the affair with later the child on the other side telling on his parents how the kid and his parents ganged up on him and then the fight was now between the parents. Filipino Viewers, you have the freedom to choose, but don't let their battle be your battle too, you have your own battle to win. Focus on it, at the end of the day, these companies are not the one you'll depend your life on but to a greater power.