PBA, Solar Sports to seal three-year deal in Macau

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Solar Sports Entertainment Corp. is set to formalize their partnership when they start a two-day meeting Tuesday in Macau. The signing will be part of the PBA’s annual planning session set to chart the course of the league’s coming 2008-09 season. This will be the third straight year the PBA Board will meet in the Chinese territory. PBA board members, led by outgoing chairman Tony Chua of Red Bull and his successor Joaqui Trillo of Alaska, left early Tuesday morning for the former Portuguese colony accompanied by commissioner Sonny Barrios. Highlight of the session is the formal signing of the three-year television deal between the league and new broadcast partner Solar Sports Entertainment Corporation. Terms of the contract were not available although the pact is reportedly worth P498 million spread over three years. Solar Sports, which also airs Philippine Basketball League (PBL) games through its cable channel Basketball TV (BTV), replaces ABC-5 as the league’s broadcast partner. The country’s no. 1 sports channel already started covering the PBA’s off-season activities including the two-day Rookie Camp, which showcased the skills and talent of amateur applicants wishing to be included in the final list of the annual PBA Draft set this Sunday at the Market! Market! Activity Center in Taguig City. Other PBA board members expected to join the meeting in Macau are Ely Capacio of San Miguel, Robert Non of Barangay Ginebra, Ricky Vargas of Talk `N Text, Purefoods’ Rene Pardo, Lito Alvarez of Air21, Sta. Lucia Realty’s Buddy Encarnado, Welcoat’s Mamerto Mondragon and JB Baylon of Coca-Cola. Representing Solar Sports, on the other hand, will be Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and chairman Wilson Tieng and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Peter Chan Leong Aside from the contract signing between Solar Sports and the PBA, the Board will also elect a new vice-chairman and treasurer during its stay here. Trillo, elected PBA vice chairman last year, automatically assumes the position as board chairman making it the first time the former television personality will lead the league. – GMANews.TV