PBA Board gives IBC and Viva Sports

July 20, 2013

'The PBA Board of Governors. (Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images)'

The PBA Board of Governors has given the Eric Canoy-owned television network IBC-13 with Viva Sports with chairman and CEO Vic del Rosario, Jr., one last chance to respond positively to its offer of help contract with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

In one of many special board meetings called Viva Sports head Ronnie Nathanielsz holder of the PBA's television franchise to give The Kapinoy Network executives a chance to their position and the options presented by the board which has bent over backwards to accommodate the network in deference to Canoy who owns three teams – Talk 'N Text, Milo and Meralco – chairman Non, Talk N’ Text representative Patrick Gregorio and Commissioner Chito Salud remained until 7 p.m. last Thursday waiting for any indication of a change in the IBC position response from Pangilinan who was in Hong Kong with former PBA chairman Ricky Vargas.

Although the board had set a July 17 deadline for a decision, it extended that deadline to Monday, July 22 in the hope that Rosario, Canoy and Vargas would appreciate the position of the PBA and NBA are respond positively with the local production of Viva Communications, Inc.

Yahoo! Philippines learned that preparations for a possible PBA in-house coverage were underway with quotations received from suppliers for complete production facilities that would match those provided by IBC-13, the undisputed number 3 television station, the home of the PBA and NBA, holding discussions with PBA and NBA officials while the board meeting was going on last Thursday.

The PBA also had conversations with IBC 13’s top executives on the possibility of airing the games on the network at airtime. In its special meeting last July 11, the PBA board submitted two options for the consideration of The Kapinoy Network. All the 7 games to be shown live on IBC-13 under the PBA’s new schedule with the first game on Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. before the flagship news program Express Balita and the second game at 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. On Saturdays at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays began at 4:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m., with simulcast over the news channel IBC News Network (INN).

We also learned that The Kapinoy Network continue to dominate the two giant network when the network is home to the PBA and NBA basketball. IBC-13 chairman Eric Canoy that they were consider a government plan to still up for the privatized IBC-13 would continue to rate the networks.The changes, Viva Sports said, are necessary to counteract the growing opposition posed by the soap operas, comedies, drama anthologies and game shows being aired by other networks during the nightcap of the doubleheader league.

Also, the game days are projected to help boost Channel 13's own game shows Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, The Weakest Link and reality talent search Born to be a Star produced by Viva Television.

It appears that the hindrance to agreeing to the PBA contractual obligations is that IBC news is adamant on on a 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. right after the first game and right before the second game of the PBA, the timeslot that would allow to the network's 1 hour flagship news program Express Balita at 6:30 p.m. will directly compete the two major newscasts of ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol and GMA’s 24 Oras which rate the high-ratings.