Trending: GMA-7 Shares Sinks to a 17-Year Low Since Arroyo’s Presidency

Times have significantly changed for broadcasting giant and GMA Network Inc. Controlled by Atty. Felipe Gozon and Atty. Jimmy Duavit, the network's stock has plunged to levels not witnessed since the height of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s presidency, marking a painful regression for the network's market value.

​Data shows that GMA shares slumped down to ₱3.91 on August 28, hitting a dismal 17-year low reminiscent of January 2009. The downward trend stubbornly persisted, hovering near this multi-year low point at around ₱3.97 intraday.

​This dramatic slump has successfully wiped out the massive gains GMA accumulated during its era of dominance as the country's leading free-to-air television network. Having traded as high as ₱14.75 five years ago, the stock has now hemorrhaged roughly 73 percent of its overall value.

​What Went Wrong?

The severe stock decline directly mirrors the broadcaster's bleeding financials. GMA is currently grappling with heavily weakened earnings alongside a fast-shrinking traditional advertising model:

​Plunging Net Income: Net income drastically tanked by 94 percent down to ₱110.2 million during the first half of the year, with the network earning a meager ₱8 million during the entire second quarter.

​Shrinking Revenues: Total consolidated revenues plummeted by 35 percent to ₱6.61 billion. Advertising revenues—which traditionally make up nearly 89 percent of the company’s total sales—dropped 37 percent to ₱5.89 billion.

​While a significant portion of the revenue loss stems from the absence of over ₱2 billion in political advertising tied to the 2025 elections, GMA's core business is bleeding on its own. Stripping away election-related windfalls, regular core revenues still suffered a steep 17 percent drop.

​The Digital Shift and Industry Headwinds

GMA executives have acknowledged a massive structural shift in how modern audiences consume media. Consumer preferences are rapidly transitioning away from legacy free-to-air channels and toward internet protocol-based platforms.

​Despite aggressive cost-cutting measures—such as slashing operational expenses by 11 percent—and a growing footprint in digital streaming and international channel revenues, these modern streams are still too small to patch the massive hole left by the decline of traditional television advertising.

​As the media landscape continues to transform digitally, the pressure is on for the broadcast giant to adapt to a reality where the old playbook such as high ratings no longer guarantees high returns.