SONA 2010, GMA-7's coverage of the first State of the Nation Address delivered by President Noynoy Aquino, topped ratings last July 30, according to TV ratings service Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.
Mega Manila Overnight Household Ratings show that GMA-7's SONA 2010 bested ABS-CBN's Boses ng Bayan with a lead of 5.7 points. The Kapuso Network's SONA 2010 registered a rating of 21% compared to the Kapamilya Network's 15.3%.
GMA-7's SONA coverage was also the ratings leader based on the Mega Manila Overnight People Ratings, which measures the number of "eyeballs" or the actual number of people watching. SONA 2010's 8.5% posted a lead of 2.6 points over Boses ng Bayan's 5.9%.
Bannered by GMA News pillars Mike Enriquez and Mel Tiangco as studio anchors; Arnold Clavio and Vicky Morales as field anchors and the rest of the news team that has won both local and international honors, SONA 2010 also used popular new media like YouScoop, Twitter and Facebook. The highly interactive coverage encouraged scores of people from all walks of life to participate in the day's biggest event.
SONA 2010 also out-scooped the competition by being the first to interview Congressman Dato Arroyo, son of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and former Agriculture Secretary and now Bohol Congressman Arthur Yap regarding their reactions to President Noynoy's address, particularly his criticisms of the Arroyo administration.
The GMA News and Public Affairs team prepared well for SONA 2010 through strategic positioning of the remote equipment, the reporters and all the other elements of the coverage.
The success of SONA 2010 comes after the ratings triumph of GMA-7's inauguration coverage Panata sa Pagbabago in Mega Manila. According to Nielsen TV Audience Measurement's Mega Manila Individual/People Overnight Ratings, it registered 13.4% compared to the 9.4% of ABS-CBN's Panunumpa sa Bayan.
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GMA-7's election coverage dubbed ELEKSYON 2010 also performed well in Mega Manila according to data from AGB Nielsen. (CLICK HERE to read related article)