PDI is No. 1 newspaper, says readership poll

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is the undisputed No. 1 broadsheet in the country, according to the latest readership survey by The Nielsen Co.

The Nielsen Media Index results for the third quarter found that the Inquirer was the newspaper of choice for nearly half of Filipinos in National Urban Philippines, which covers Metro Manila and 21 key cities in the country.

Asked what newspaper they read the day before, 47.8 percent of the respondents picked the Inquirer. About 35.5 percent of the respondents said they read the Manila Bulletin, and 30.7 percent chose the Philippine Star.

The readership percentages translate to 842,000 readers for the Inquirer, 625,000 readers for Bulletin, and 540,000 readers for Star, according to Nielsen.

“My heart is filled with gratitude—to readers, advertisers and dealers,” said Inquirer president and CEO Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez. “I also want to acknowledge Team Inquirer for constantly giving their best and for constantly challenging themselves to serve the needs of our stakeholders.”

Amid the changing media landscape, Romualdez said “it is humbling that the public still chooses the Inquirer as their newspaper.”

“We will constantly do our best to improve and seek ways to give the readers comprehensive reports and the latest news, whether in the field of business, sports or lifestyle. We will continue to strive to be in as many touchpoints as possible,” she added.

By region, Inquirer’s lead was most pronounced in the whole of Visayas with a readership of 80.9 percent. Trailing behind were Star (16.7 percent) and Bulletin (8.7 percent).

In Cebu City, Inquirer led with a readership of 59.3 percent, followed by Bulletin (25.9 percent) and Star (18.5 percent).

The Inquirer was also the newspaper of choice in Mindanao, with a readership share of 75.2 percent. Far behind were Bulletin (15 percent) and Star (14.2 percent).

In Davao, a key city in Mindanao, the Inquirer enjoyed a 61.5-percent readership, followed by Bulletin (46.2 percent) and Star (11.5 percent).

The Inquirer was also the newspaper of choice across four socioeconomic classes: 40.1 percent of AB (upper and middle classes); 48.7 percent of C1 (lower middle class), 42.8 percent of C2 (working class), and 53.3 percent of D (lower class).

The Nielsen Media Index 3rd quarter survey covered the months of August and September 2011.

The survey involved 8,220 respondents aged 10 years and older from all socioeconomic classes in Metro Manila; the cities of Baguio, Dagupan, Santiago, Olongapo, Angeles, Antipolo, Cavite, San Pablo, Legazpi, Calapan and Malolos in Luzon; the cities of Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Tacloban in the Visayas; and the cities of Davao, Iligan, Zamboanga, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.

The survey had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.

Nielsen has been providing various industries with advertising intelligence, media measurement and advanced analytical tools in media for more than 30 years.

Originally posted at 08:55 pm | Thursday, December 08, 2011