January 2004
By Edgard Hilario
PBA GAMES will now be seen daily.
That seems to be what's in store for basketball fans after the Philippine Basketball Association and ABC 5 formally forged their new alliance during signing ceremonies attended by top officials of the two groups yesterday.
The signing brought to a close the league's unhappy and financially disastrous partnership with government channel NBN 4 which lasted just one season, with the television group leaving behind arrears amounting to over P134 million, exclusing the P60 million owed by IBC-13 for reneging on the agreement to broadcast the games simultaneously with '4.'
Aired three times a week amidst dwindling viewership, the PBA and ABC officials are unfazed by the downward spiral and planned to go all the way by having PBA games and related topics seven days of the week, most of them on primetime which is between 7-9 p.m.
"Fans will savor PBA games on a daily basis," said PBA chairman Buddy Encarnado after signing the deal.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala hailed the event at the Shangrila Hotel as "a forging of partnership between two fresh companies in transition" and working for a common goal "to be on top" of their respective endeavors.
As planned, ABC 5, recently acquired by businessman-sportsman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco, will telecast PBA games beginning with the Fiesta Conference next month during Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Wednesday's first games, however, will be aired on a delayed basis "on Fridays" while Thursdays are reserved for out-of-town games. Details are now being worked out to air "the greatest PBA games and players' profiles" on Mondays and Tuesdays.
PBA project director Bobby Barreiro said that ABC-5 wants "to create a habit when viewers are mostly at home" or during the 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. primetime.
ABC 5 will get, in return, an expected impact from the televiewers in its bid to crowd giant networks ABS-CBN 2 and GMA 7 in the ratings game.