Coinciding with the official filing of the case against AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines, an emergency press conference was called by ABS-CBN earlier today to explain their basis for the legal action. Shown in the picture are (L-R) ABS-CBN Head of Finance Mike Navarrete, Head of Regional Network Ron Valdueza, Head of Research Vivian Tin, Atty. Maximilian Joseph Uy, and Head of Corporate Communications Bong Osorio.
ABS-CBN files P63-million civil case against AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines
Friday, December 14, 2007
08:09 PM
Rating
"Being a representative requires that the panel has been properly and statistically sampled," explained Vivien to the press. "Additionally, the panel members must be reflecting their normal behavior... They are watching what they want to watch and when they want to watch it."
A video clip was played during the press conference. The informant narrated in Ilonggo how his group was being paid by a specific organization to scout, then identify, the sample households and bribe the members to deliberately switch channels in favor of the requesting party.
"We moved around barangays," revealed the informant whose face was never shown in the video. "We asked each household where the device is. When we find out that the house has one, we go there."
As revealed, AGB Nielsen gives grocery items "or other things they can use in the household" as goodwill to the survey participants. This is totally legal.
A counter-offer is then offered by the "outside party" to sway the sampled household. "We approach the house and make a counter-offer of P500 cash or groceries. If they accept our offer, which almost always happens because of poverty, they will accept and we convince them to shift the channel to the other station," said the "scared" informant.
Curiously, a network is being dragged as the perpetrator of the illegal act. The exact name of the network was omitted, however, every time it was being mentioned by the source.
"It is ____ [network] that gives us orders," confessed the informant, "... there's seven of us involved and we go around the barangays and we simply look for the AGB meters."
The "network," added the source, was losing in the ratings game in Bacolod, thus explaining the alleged dirty tactic.
"That's why they want to get a handle on the meters so that they can have a share in the ratings and advertising."
When asked if AGB Nielsen had any idea of the unlawful practice, the informant boomingly said, "No"—indicating that the act is solely carried out by a specific "network" and not by the research group.
LEGAL ACTION. ABS-CBN representatives stressed that the civil case against AGB Nielsen was brought about by the media research firm's refusal to heed their call for an investigation.
The Kapamilya network said that they provided all the information they had gathered to AGB Nielsen. ABS-CBN added that "even as we continue to lead nationwide" this didn't hinder them from making a request to the survey agency to "check their panels" and guarantee first the integrity of their data.
"Given the importance of the service and the impact it has to the decisions of networks and advertisers, we have demanded that AGB-Nielsen Media Research Philippines shut down their service and investigate the degree to which their panel has been breached. We asked that they resume their service only after they can fully assure their clients that the panel has been completely cleaned," said Vivian about their formal letter to AGB Nielsen.
A video of ABS-CBN Chairman and CEO, Mr. Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III, was also shown. He announced, "Today, we have filed a civil case against AGB-Nielsen Media Research Philippines for damages and injunction, with an application for a temporary restraining order."
Atty. Maximilian Uy confirmed that they officially filed the case in a Quezon City court at 1:30 p.m today, December 14, while the press conference was still ongoing.
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- GMA-7 will pursue libel case despite fingerpointing between AGB and ABS-CBN
- AGB Nielsen is prepared to defend its integrity in court
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