Nielsen (PH) sent us a clarification e-mail about the “13M Filipino Internet Users and 8.5M on Facebook” article we wrote last week. In the letter they said that the figures presented were inaccurate because they weren’t actually for the entire Philippines. The 13M number is actually just for Filipinos above 10 years old living across 22 urban cities and not for the entire country.
The “8.5M Filipino users of Facebook”, on the other hand, wasn’t included or mentioned during the presentation of Nielsen. The reporter who gave the report probably came up with her own estimate.
Here’s the full e-mail:
Mr. Carlo Ople
Editor
News MediaDear Carlo,
This is in reference to your blog entry “AC Nielsen says only 8.5 million on Facebook, 13M on Internet?” posted recently. The blog quotes a news report by Sandra Aguinaldo of GMA News that says there is a growing opportunity for web-based entrepreneurs in the country because of the increasing number of internet users. The report says that Nielsen pegged the number of Filipino internet users at 13-million, including some 8.5 million users on social networking site Facebook. While we appreciate Ms Aguinaldo and GMA News for the positive tone of the report, we would like to point out that the quoted figures were actually not accurate.
The report was based on an Industry Update which Nielsen held for its customers last Oct. 19 in Intercontinental Hotel. Ms Aguinaldo’s report was based on the presentation of Justin St. Pierre, Associate Director for Product Leadership of Nielsen (Asia Pacific), and on a subsequent interview with Jay Bautista, Managing Director for Media Group of Nielsen (Philippines). We would however, like to clarify that the 13-million internet users as mentioned by Ms Aguinaldo is the estimate based on the recent Yahoo! Nielsen Net Index Report which surveyed respondents aged 10 year and older across 22 urban cities. The figures presented are reflective only of total urban Philippines and not the total country.
As to the Facebook users, we assume that Ms Aguinaldo came up with her own estimation as nowhere in the presentation of Mr. St. Pierre nor in the interview with Mr. Bautista was 8.5 million users mentioned. What Mr. St. Pierre said in his presentation though, still quoting the Yahoo! Nielsen Net Index (2011), was that 82% of the Filipino internet users in Urban Philippines used Facebook in past month. That should have translated into 10.6-million and not 8.5-million (users in Urban Philippines).
Lastly, we wish to clarify that the report was released by Nielsen, not AC Nielsen. With the new corporate direction, our company is now simply Nielsen.
Attached, please find the presentation of Mr. St. Pierre and the latest Yahoo! Nielsen Net Index.
We hope this letter clarifies the matter.
Sincerely,
ZENAIDA S. SANTOS
Communications, Media Group
Nielsen
Thank you to Nielsen for clarifying the matter and we’d also like to give a shout out to IMMAP’s Hans Roxas-Chua for bringing this issue to them.
Hi Carlo!
Hope you can share the presentation Nielsen attached to the email to you.
Thanks!
Ros
Will do that!
Hi Carlo! Please share the presentation
how can it be misquoted? THe press release shows those figures.
Hi guys! I’ll post the presentation this weekend. I have more time then. Cheers!
Thanks for posting the slides Carlo!