TV ratings war raging over Eat Bulaga’s ‘AlDub’

If a complaint filed by GMA Network were to be believed, it was not only Lola Nidora who had been scheming to destroy the budding romance between Alden Richards and Yaya Dub in the “AlDub” portion of the noontime show, “Eat Bulaga;” rival TV network ABS-CBN Corp., the parent company of TV provider Sky Cable Corp., was out to sabotage the love team as well.

Sky Cable however refuted the claims made by GMA Network (GMA 7) in its Aug. 25 complaint to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that the cable company was “shortchanging” subscribers through service interruptions whenever the popular AlDub kalyeserye segment aired over GMA 7’s long-running variety show, “Eat Bulaga.”

In a press statement on Friday, Sky Cable expressed willingness to cooperate with the NTC on any investigation that the regulatory agency might wish to conduct regarding the incidents of service interruption. The cable provider also vowed to address any future service interruptions.

GMA 7’s complaint regarding the “shortchanging” of subscribers via irresponsible acts was “a malicious accusation and is without basis,” Sky Cable said.

Global standards

“If there were service interruptions that inconvenienced some of our subscribers, these were isolated and would have affected other channels, not only GMA 7,” the cable provider said.

For the past 25 years, Sky Cable said it had been providing top-of-the-line services to subscribers, adding it was always its primary aim “to be at par with global standards and innovations in bringing world-class entertainment to every Filipino home.”

Its statement added: “To all our valued customers and stakeholders, we commit to take all necessary measures to give you the best service you deserve and continue working round-the-clock to minimize and immediately resolve any service interruptions in the future.”

Based on earlier reports, GMA 7 filed the NTC complaint following the loss of signal during the airing of the popular segment AlDub kalyeserye on “Eat Bulaga.”

GMA 7 sought “immediate action” from the NTC, alleging Sky Cable’s violation of Section 6 of the NTC MC No. 4-08-88, or the revised rules and regulations governing cable TV in the country.

The kalyeserye segment features entertainers Maine Mendoza, more popularly known as Yaya Dub, and GMA 7 talent Alden Richards, as well as comedians Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola as Lola Nidora, whose character is rabidly against the TV romance.

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