TV Giant Critical of Bolsonaro Leads Ratings; Channels Supporting Him Play Catch-up

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Friday night, September 6th, Jair Bolsonaro welcomed the owner of RecordTV, Bishop Edir Macedo, and the owner of SBT, Silvio Santos, to the Palácio da Alvorada.

The media businessmen then attended the military parade on 7th of September along the Esplanada dos Ministérios, flanking the president in the official reviewing stand.

The two stations, both fighting for leadership in the viewer polls by Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE) are seen by the press and political circles as the president’s allies. They produce journalism in tune with the administration.

Meanwhile, Globo and GloboNews echo criticism of Bolsonaro’s controversial and verbose style. Its commentators challenge various government projects and decisions.

Silvio Santos maintains a cordial relationship with Globo, where he worked from 1966 to 1972. Edir Macedo however, sees the Rio de Janeiro-based channel, controlled by the Marinho family, as an enemy — as does President Bolsonaro. The bishop and the president do not miss an opportunity to criticize and mock the network.

Last week, Bolsonaro declared that Globo’s main TV news, Jornal Nacional, “has no more funds, it’s no longer profitable, it has no more official government advertising”.

Cutting public advertising money for Globo Group media was a pledge – in a vengeful tone – made in Bolsonaro’s 2018 presidential campaign. Bolsonaro claims to be persecuted by the Marinho clan’s ubiquitous TVs, radios, newspapers, and magazines.

The proximity to Edir Macedo and Silvio Santos provides the president with a relevant space in primetime attractions, such as Jornal da Record (“Record News”) and SBT Brasil, for the promotion of the government’s achievements and ideologies.

But it does not guarantee as much exposure as anything to be found on TV Globo. The channel founded by Roberto Marinho 54 years ago has a comfortable lead in the Kantar IBOPE ratings battle.

The sum of the daily average (from 7 AM to midnight) of RecordTV and SBT viewers does not add up to that of its mammoth competitor. Between August 29th and September 5th, for instance, Edir Macedo’s station scored an average of 6.7 points while that of Silvio Santos scored 6.8 points, a total of under 14 points; Globo obtained 17 points.

During the same period, in Greater São Paulo, the three networks’ major news programs scored quite differently. The Jornal da Record (Record News) reached an average of 5.2 points, while SBT Brasil got 6.9. Globo’s Jornal Nacional (“National News”) reached an audience of 32.2, almost triple that of its competitors combined

Since the protests in 2013, Globo has been the target of boycott attempts. On social media, several pages sought to mobilize viewers to no longer watch the channel. This initiative grew during last year’s presidential campaign, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters. So far, however, the station’s leadership has not been shaken.

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