MANILA -- Banking on a solid and growing fan base, the basketball finals of the most premier league in the country will be aired live over media giant ABS-CBN.
Peter Musngi, head of ABS-CBN Sports, said the move came after the company mulled of expanding the reach of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) which is entering its 73rd season on July 10.
“This year we will be breaking the usual airing of the basketball finals over Studio 23. For this season, Game 1 will be aired over ABS CBN Channel 2 up to Game 3 if necessary. We want to expand the viewership of the UAAP in the country,” he told reporters at Monday’s press launch in Quezon City.
Musngi said the double eliminations and pre-final matches will be shown live and with replays on its sister channel Studio 23 and cable unit Balls.
The UAAP basketball finals normally fall at the end of September or early October with Ateneo and Far Eastern University as the season’s top-seeded teams.
Last year, ABS-CBN became the first and only network in the country to broadcast sports events in high definition, the latest technology employed in major television stations abroad.
HD television gives improved picture quality with enhanced sound quality at a panoramic widescreen viewing format.
The games will also be available online on studio23.tv and ABS-CBN Global, where alumni and supporters of the famous Ateneo-La Salle rivalry were able to watch the duels live in the past years. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)