Coverage of PBA games still worth it – Solar Sports

MANILA, Philippines – Solar Sports thinks its three-year contract to cover the games of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a viable business deal. Jude Turcuato on Tuesday justified the company's move to take over the coverage of the games from ABC, saying that the PBA is still at the top of the ratings among sports-entertainment events in the Philippines. "Despite the perception that the PBA has fallen in terms of ratings, it's still higher than those of any other sports in town, be it the NBA, the UAAP, NCAA, and others," Turcuato said at the Philippine Sportwriters Association (PSA) Forum held at the Shakey's Pizza branch on UN Avenue in Manila. "Even in ticket sales and attendance, PBA remains on top. And these are paying fans who are there to watch their favorite players and teams." The contract between Solar Sports and the PBA is believed by sports insiders to be worth P500 million. Solar Sports will start covering the PBA starting with the yearly PBA Rookie Draft which traditionally kicks of the season. PBA games will be aired live on RPN-9 every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Replays will be aired over Basketball TV on the same day. Turcuato added that Solar Sports invested on new equipment to allow clearer transmission of the games. Solar Sports also covers the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and the NBA in the Philippines. "They actually complement one another," Turcuato said. "NBA games are mostly shown in the morning while the PBA is in the evening. The PBL usually holds its games on days where the PBA has no playing schedule." - GMANews.TV