Dissecting the Filipino Sports News Landscape with Entry of SportsCenter Philippines

December 14, 2017

It has been an eventful month so far for sports news programs in the Philippines.

As of this week there are five weekday sports news programs that currently air on Philippine television. These include: On Sunday, December 17, a sixth program will emerge. As part of ESPN’s new deal with TV5, the network will officially premiere its version of SportsCenter, to be anchored by Aaron Atayde and Lia Cruz.
 * 1) The Score (ABS-CBN S+A) – anchored by TJ Manotoc
 * 2) Sports Ngayon (ZTV) – anchored by Paolo Trillo
 * 3) Sports Desk (CNN Philippines) – morning edition anchored by Andrei Felix, evening editions anchored by Mico Halili
 * 4) Gametime (ABS-CBN News Channel) – anchored by Migs Bustos
 * 5) PTV Sports (People’s Television Network) – anchored by Dennis Principe, Meg Siozon, Angel Atienza and Arianne Mallare

Before viewers can get excited about SportsCenter Philippines, here is a summary of how each current program brings to the table. These are ranked according to quality and depth. ''Watch @micohalili now on #CNNPHSportsDesk. Live streaming: https://t.co/CaczwF9CtH pic.twitter.com/lcg6st3nNq''

— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) December 13, 2017

Sports Desk

A holdover from Solar News Channel era, CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk has by far the best content of sports news that is to offer. The program is not shy to tackle all the sports news that people should know, whether it is the UAAP, the PBA or even other local and international sports.

It also helps that it airs three times a day, at 11:00 a.m., 6:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays. However, with news of Mico Halili potentially departing CNN Philippines for perhaps a full-time role as a commentator with ABS-CBN Sports, can the show continue to deliver with regular substitute Paolo del Rosario?

PTV Sports

This program has been in and out of PTV-4’s lineup in recent years (remember Snow Badua?), but its latest iteration is simply a straight-up summary of the whole day’s worth of sports news. There are a few interviews here and there but other than that, they are more into quick bursts of reports.

However, as PTV-4 is a government station, there is a tendency for the program to be preempted whenever President Rodrigo Duterte makes an appearance on national television. Still, when the show does air, expect plenty of juice extracted in each report. ''NOW on ANC: Get ready, it’s #GametimeOnANC! Get the biggest news in sports with @migsbustos. pic.twitter.com/P71PNrrLRl''

— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) December 13, 2017

''Susunod na makakalaban ng Alab Pilipinas ang reigning ABL Champions na Hong Kong Eastern. Bukas gaganapin ang rematch ng dalawa. Paano makakabawi ang Alab? We'll be talking to ABL analyst and Gametime host, @migsbustos. pic.twitter.com/7bcvoAKpPT''

— The Score (@TheScorePH) December 12, 2017

Gametime/The Score

Both shows are currently aired on ABS-CBN sister channels: Gametime on ANC and The Score on S+A. Unfortunately, they do not offer much in terms of sports news as they merely focus on sporting events currently handled by ABS-CBN Sports (e.g. UAAP, NCAA, NBA, ABL), not to mention they do not usually air live.

For those who seek a greater scope into sports news (albeit on a weekly basis), there is Hardball on ANC and Fastbreak on DZMM. It’s sad to say that both Gametime and The Score are a disappointment since ABS-CBN treated them like a showbiz news program that is biased towards a particular network’s artists.

So what expectations do people have for SportsCenter Philippines? For one, the show will premiere on a Sunday (a weekend no less) and it is assumed that the program will air seven days a week as opposed to a mere weekday airing that other shows do.

Also, with TV5 possibly rebranding into a full-on sports network as ESPN5, the network is expected to highlight SportsCenter Philippines as its centerpiece program with all the sports news that people should know. That said, it will be interesting to see how this new player fares amid a crowd of sports-hungry fans.

Good luck to ESPN5. As for its competitors, there is no way to go but up.