Xander Ford episode of 'Rated K' beats rival in ratings

MANILA – The “Rated K” episode featuring the transformation of internet sensation Marlou Arizala into Xander Ford proved to be a big winner not just on social media but also on TV.

On Sunday, the episode became a trending topic on Twitter in the Philippines and all over the world. It also defeated its rival program on GMA-7 in the ratings game on television.

 According to data from Kantar Media, “Rated K” scored a national TV rating of 26.4% versus “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” which had a rating of 18.2%.

For weeks, Ford teased fans with his new look but it was only on Sunday that he revealed his new look.

Aside from having his nose and chin altered, Ford also had his teeth, eyebrows and lips fixed.

"Natupad na po 'yung pangarap ko," he said.

Meanwhile, aside from “Rated K,” other ABS-CBN shows ruled the weekend programming.

“Little Big Shots” scored national TV ratings of 34.3% last Saturday (September 30) and 32.7% last Sunday (October 1).

Andrea Brillantes and Grae Fernandez’s first starring series “Wansapanataym Presents: Louie’s Biton,” on the other hand, debuted strongly with 32.1%, compared to “Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko” (17.4%).

The touching story in "Maalaala Mo Kaya" starring Jessy Mendiola recorded 31.6% versus “Magpakailanman” (19%).

“I Can See Your Voice" also ruled its timeslot last Saturday (September 30) with 19.6%, while “Celebrity Bluff” only got 9.6%.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBC's Brian Williams suspended 6 months over Iraq claims

Brian Williams, the anchor of NBC's top-rated "Nightly News" program, has been suspended without pay for six months after admitting last week that a story he told about coming under fire on a helicopter during the Iraq war was not true, the network said on Tuesday.

As one of America's most prominent journalists, Williams' suspension and sudden downfall casts a pall over the Comcast Corp-owned network and its reputation as one of the most authoritative sources for news in the United States.

"By his actions, Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News," NBC Universal chief executive Steve Burke said in a statement from the network. "His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate."

Williams, 55, a star anchor who has led "Nightly News" since 2004, has told different versions of a tale in which a U.S. military helicopter he was riding in during the first days of the Iraq war in 2003 was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

His suspension comes after he voluntarily took himself off the air on Saturday and five days after NBC News launched an inquiry into his story of the event.

NBC News president Deborah Turness said in a memo to staff that the inquiry is still ongoing.

Backlash against Williams, who also served as managing editor of the newscast, swiftly gained steam from soldiers on social media after a Jan. 30 "Nightly News" segment in which Williams retold a version of the story.

'Completely inappropriate'

U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes first reported on a number of soldiers who disputed Williams' claims, saying he was not on or near the helicopter that was hit.

"This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian's position," Turness said in the memo.

Williams' fall from grace has also sparked a wider debate about the role of the news anchor at a time when the influence and relevance of the nightly network broadcast has waned in the Internet age.

Williams' apology last week, in which he said he misremembered the event, was widely mocked and criticized. He also struggled to explain himself in an interview with Stars and Stripes on how he misrepresented the story.

"Because I knew we had all come under fire, I guess I had assumed that all of the airframes took some damage because we all went down," Williams told the newspaper in a Feb. 4 interview that was published on Monday.

Lester Holt, the weekend anchor of "Nightly News," will continue to fill in for Williams, the memo said.

Williams built on his celebrity as an anchor by frequently appearing elsewhere on television such as late night talk shows and hosting NBC's sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live."

The newscast, which averaged about 10.2 million viewers for the week ended Feb. 2, pulled in an estimated $148 million in advertising revenue during the third quarter, according to Kantar Media.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How your tweets impact TV shows ratings

MANILA -- The higher the number of tweets about a show, the higher its ratings.

This is according to a new study released recently by Kantar Media, where it found that 11 percent (or one out of 10) of the shows and programs surveyed during a 12-month period gained viewers as a direct result of high Twitter activity.

Although the gain is a slight 2 percent, the latest study on UK viewers is one of the "first in-depth" look on how posts on the microblogging site can be an effective tool to complement overall ratings.

In 2013, rival Nielsen touched on the relationship between Twitter and live-broadcasts, revealing that "48 percent of the episodes sampled had statistically significant changes in Live TV Ratings among 29 percent of the episodes."

Kantar Media's latest report examined 110 million TV-related tweets from over 13 million unique users, covering the months between June 2013 and May 2014.

The data, however, relates to live broadcasts and does not include video-on-demand, nor live sports, news and special events.

According to Global CEO of Kantar Media Andy Brown, Twitter not only has the power to boost TV viewing during broadcast but that smaller channels and shows can complement their ratings by becoming more "Twitter-friendly."

"People have always talked about TV with friends and family, and Twitter extends these conversations outside the living room," he said.

Brown added that Twitter-friendly shows that encourage tweets during the broadcast or have a younger audience can help create an image that a program is doing better than its actual ratings.

In UK, the data showed a noticeable skew towards entertainment, talent shows, and some dramas, including "Sherlock," "Downton Abbey" and "Doctor Who," where there is a cult or younger following.

The country's "The X-Factor," which has a huge social media presence of 5.2 million followers, delivered 9.4 million posts on Twitter over the period surveyed, winning the title for highest number of tweets for a series.

"The Brits" -- UK's equivalent of the Grammy Awards -- was the top single broadcast show with more than 4 million posts.

While Kantar Media did not go into detail into how the millions of tweets resulted into more viewers, Joel Lunenfeld, the global vice president of sales strategy at Twitter, asserts that the new data provides enough a look for program makers and advertisers alike to take notice.

"It provides a fascinating set of insights that will help the industry better understand and harness the power of social TV," he said.

Is it happening in the Philippines?

A similar trend can be seen in the Philippines, where several primetime shows and afternoon dramas employ a daily hashtag for viewers and Twitter users to air their thoughts while the the shows are being aired.

Programs such as the finale of "The Voice Kids Philippines" and the recent September 28 episode of "Maalala Mo Kaya, both having trended worldwide on Twitter, topped their respective daily ratings charts.

The primetime series "Got to Believe," starring teen stars Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, also frequented the worldwide trending topic list of the social media site.

The series was typically in the top five most watched shows in the country, according to data from Kantar Media.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com