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Outlet profile

GMA News

Philippine centrist, privately owned commercial broadcaster

Owned byGMA Network, Inc., controlled by three founding families: the Gozon family (~29.7% direct/indirect shares), the Duavit family (via Group Management and Development Inc., ~28.6%), and the Jimenez family (via M.A. Jimenez Enterprises, ~15.5%). The company has been publicly traded on the Philippine Stock Exchange since 2007, but the founding families retain effective control.
FundingPrimarily commercial advertising, which accounts for roughly 89–94% of total revenue. Political advertising is a notable cyclical revenue source. No state funding; the network is not government-owned.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

GMA Network traces its roots to 1950, when American businessman Robert Stewart founded a radio operation in Manila that launched the AM station DZBB. The company expanded into television in 1961 with DZBB Channel 7. In 1974, Philippine law barring foreign ownership of media forced Stewart and the American Broadcasting Company (which held a 25% stake) to cede majority control to three Filipino partners — lawyer Felipe Gozon, accountant Menardo Jimenez, and Malacañang official Gilberto Duavit Sr. — who have run the network ever since. The company was renamed Republic Broadcasting System (RBS) in 1974 and rebranded as GMA Network Inc. in 1996, with 'GMA' redefined to stand for 'Global Media Arts.' GMA went public on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2007 but the founding families retained control. By 2026, GMA Network ranked as the Philippines' most-watched and most-reached news brand, with a 48% weekly audience reach according to a Reuters Institute study. Media Bias/Fact Check rates GMA Network as Left-Center with Mixed factual reporting, citing past coverage that leaned toward the Duterte administration and inconsistent sourcing practices. The network faces growing financial pressure as advertising revenue declines and audiences shift online.

Sources

  1. GMA Network – Wikipedia
  2. GMA Network, Inc. – Media Ownership Monitor Philippines
  3. GMA Network – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
  4. GMA Network profit down 43% as ad revenue tumbles – Philstar
  5. GMA Network has highest weekly offline, online news reach in PH – Reuters study
  6. GMA Network (company) – Wikipedia
  7. Sans political ads, GMA fumbles in H1 – Philstar

Profile compiled 2026-08-18; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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