GMA-7 continued to win in nationwide ratings for the month of April, based on data from broadcast industry’s recognized ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

GMA improved its total day household audience share this April relative to March across all areas. Audience share of its closest rival ABS-CBN, meanwhile, followed an opposite trend.

Based on full April ratings data (April 1 to 21 data and April 22 to 30 overnight data), GMA posted an average total day household audience share of 35.5 points in National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM), ahead of ABS-CBN’s 29.4 points by 6.1 points and of TV5’s 15 points by 20.5 points.

Using an estimate of five viewers per household, GMA’s margins translate to more than one million viewers over ABS-CBN and almost 3.6 million viewers over TV5 nationwide.

In Total Urban Luzon, which comprises 77 percent of total urban television households nationwide, GMA recorded double-digit margins over its competitors for the said period. GMA registered 39.2 household audience share points, 13.8 points ahead of ABS-CBN’s 25.4 points and 24.8 points ahead of TV5’s 14.4.

Converted to viewers, GMA had an over 1.8 million and over 3.3 million viewer advantage over ABS-CBN and TV5, respectively, in the said area.

In its bailiwick Mega Manila, which makes up 59 percent of total urban television households nationwide, GMA hit 40.3 audience share points, posting double-digit point-wide margins over ABS-CBN’s 24.1 points and TV5’s 15.1 points.

GMA’s margins translate to over 1.7 million and over 2.7 million viewers over ABS-CBN and TV5, respectively.

GMA’s programming also managed six and eight entries in the lists of overall top 10 programs in Total Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, respectively. GMA’s Holy Week slate was also a commendable winner nationwide.

GMA hit P1.7 billion net income in 2011 amid cut backs in the advertising budget of top multinationals in 2011. ABS-CBN, meanwhile, excluding the one-time gain on sale of Sky Cable worth P1.1 billion, managed only P1.3 billion, P400 million short of GMA’s income.

GMA subscribes to the Nielsen TV Audience Measurement along with 21 companies including two other local networks, namely, TV5 and Solar Entertainment; Faulkner Media; CBN Asia; 14 advertising agencies and three regional clients. On the other hand, ABS-CBN is the only local major TV network reportedly subscribing to Kantar Media, formerly known as TNS.

The Nielsen TV Audience Measurement has a sample size of 1,190 homes in Mega Manila versus Kantar Media’s 770 homes. Nielsen also has a nationwide sample size of 2,000 homes compared to the lower sample size of 1,370 utilized by Kantar Media.