SUBSEQUENT to his phenomenal nontitle bout victory over Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya on Saturday [Sunday Manila time] and overwhelming exposure in the trimedia, fans and critics of pound-for-pound king Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao just couldn?t get enough, making him also the Philippines? Online Search Champ in the 2008 annual top search terms of Google?s Zeitgeist.
Google?s Zeitgeist is the search engine?s tool to find out what millions of people are searching on the web.
In the Top 10 Lists: Local News + Politics category, four out of 10 search queries are related to Pacquiao comprised of terms Manny Pacquiao, Pacquaio versus de la Hoya, Pacquiao-Marquez fight and Pacquiao-Diaz fight. These four are positioned at the crest?s hierarchy. The term ?the dream match? is in the eighth position, which is technically still related to him.
Other queries on the list include Ces Drilon on the fifth position, followed by RCBC bank robbery (sixth), 2008 SONA (seventh), reproductive health bill (ninth) and earthquake Philippines (10th).
?Pambansang Kamao? dominated the spots of fastest-rising queries or ?terms that have seen the largest increase in search volume over a specified amount of time.?
In Top News category, the term Pacquiao ranked first, beating American Idol, Olympics, NBA, Basketball, de la Hoya, Boxing, China, Obama and iPhone. This search is popularly viewed in Tagalog more than English by mostly Internet users of Quezon City, Makati and Manila.
By region, the term is inquired by internet surfers in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
Pacquiao as well made it to the Entertainment category being on No. 9 position for the most searched local celebrities. He is behind talk of the bloggers DJ Montano, Dyesebel herself Marian Rivera, basketball star Chris Tiu, highest paid female endorser KC Concepcion, comic-satirical writer Bob Ong, image model Ellen Adarna, Dyosa star Anne Curtis, and teen star Maja Salvador.
Meanwhile, in sport category, Pacland, a web site dedicated by Pacquiao die-hards to their hero?s significant activities, landed at No. 5 after Beijing Olympics, Philboxing, PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). This site is widely accessed by online visitors in Cebu, Quezon City, Pasig, Makati and Manila.
Ranking of the keywords were based on millions of search queries typed by Filipino Internet users to leading search engine from 2007 to 2008 and identified through country?s IP (Internet protocol) addresses looking on both Google?s site and its local domain google.com.ph.
Boxing may gain revenue despite the recession
Top Rank Inc. president Todd DuBoef believes pay-per-view ratings for boxing will be strengthened by the global financial crisis.
Boxing, which is battling flagging interest in the US, can be seen as a cheaper alternative to going out for Americans, said DuBoef, whose company has represented fighters, including Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Oscar de la Hoya.
?You are going to see pay-per-view excel,? DuBoef said in an interview in London. ?People are going to gather in homes, they?re going to grab beers and popcorn and they?re going to watch it. And if it?s $55 by five people or 10 people, it?s not that much. It?s cheap entertainment.?
Last weekend?s welterweight bout between de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas sold out within an hour, and pay-per-view figures ?will be in the top 10 of all time,? DuBoef said. Pacquiao scored a technical knockout in the eighth round in the fight aired by Time Warner Inc.?s HBO. The success comes as other sports eat into boxing?s audience, and it was de la Hoya?s presence that sold the fight, DuBoef said.
De la Hoya has won titles at six different weight classes, and now says he?s contemplating retirement. DuBoef believes terrestrial television networks? preference for football, baseball and basketball means new boxers struggle to build followings. The sport is aired in the US on pay-per-view channels such as HBO and CBS Corp.?s Showtime.
?You can?t build someone on a pay platform,? he said, at the announcement of a three-year deal with UK pay network Setanta Sports. ?You can?t make people pay every month to see them. You got to see them more vastly and understand them before you?re going to pay.?
Younger boxers are also responsible for the sport?s decline, he said. Many of them don?t participate in enough bouts, DuBoef said.
?There?s a saying that out of sight is out of mind,? DuBoef said. ?You can?t be a big product if you fight two times a year. You got to fight four and five times a year like they did in the old days.?
