“We regret to bring this matter to the public. But the Filipino public and the whole media industry deserve to know the truth. We in ABS-CBN have discovered what can only be viewed as a systematic, organized, and well funded attempt to cheat in the ratings,” ABS-CBN spokesman Bong Osorio said in a statement.

Osorio said that to measure ratings, meters are installed in selected households across the country. These households are considered as representative after passing statistical standards set by the research agency.

“The identity of these metered households is kept secure so that no outside entity can influence their behavior. This ensures that the ratings that come from these homes reflect their true behavior,” Osorio said.

The spokesman said ABS-CBN was approached by a person who confessed that he was hired to locate and bribe metered households to change the programs they are watching in Bacolod. He said ABS-CBN informed AGB Nielsen Media Research Philippines about the bribery attempts and urged the agency “to stop the release of erroneous data, check their panel nationwide and resume release only when they can guarantee the integrity of the data.”

He said ABS-CBN has filed a civil case against AGB-Nielsen Media Research Philippines for damages and injunction, with an application for a temporary restraining order, after the agency continued to release its data.

“We know we may be questioned by some and accused of lying by others. In the end, our decision was to do the right thing. Just tell the truth. And now, we are informing you, the public, because you need to know, and because, in the end, we answer to you.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=102421

Star Cinema is principally involved in the production and release of Filipino full-length feature films. Part of its income is also derived from the local theatrical release of foreign films as well as the video production of its movies.

From a modest start of two films in 1993, Star Cinema became the number one film company in the country as early as 2000, and by 2003, the company has captured more than 60% of the market share. As of to date, the Company has produced a total of 231 feature films.

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