The Yuletide season would be painfully quiet for all television ratings enthusiasts. This after the Quezon City Regional Trial Court issued a temporary restraining order to AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines in response to the legal complaint filed by ABS-CBN against the international company.

In a text message sent by ABS-CBN to PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) earlier today, it said that the court ordered AGB Nielsen to "cease and desist from data gathering in release of TV audience measurement data for 20 days."

The TRO was part ABS-CBN's appeal to the court when they filed a civil case against AGB Nielsen for damages and injunction last December 14.

The Kapamilya network is questioning the authenticity of the television ratings data being produced daily by AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines after an informant reportedly spilled details that the households tapped for the survey in Bacolod were penetrated by an outside party, thus influencing the viewing behavior of the sampled groups.

"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," said the statement furnished by the Lopez-owned network to the press last December 14.

"We asked that they resume their service only after they can fully assure their clients that the panel has been completely cleaned," it further added.