The PBA rises again

(Editor’s Note: While Bibsy Carballo is on her month-long annual vacation abroad, representatives from the three networks will alternate in writing Live Feed: Butch Raquel for Kapuso, Peachy Guioguio for Kapatid and Kane Choa for Kapamilya. Every now and then, Bibsy will email a story from wherever in Europe she is.)

For those growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, the only game on their TV screens and the talk of the town was basketball, professional basketball, that grew as the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) league, the very first of its kind in Asia. It was a time of hardcourt superstars and off-the-floor passion among contentious fans of the sport. I distinctly remember how my brothers (I have five older siblings) would place a wager, putting their entire daily school allowance to bet on their favorite team. Half was for the Toyota team, the rest was for its rival, Crispa. The rivalry was such that when there was a Crispa-Toyota title game, the streets of Manila would be visibly empty, as people were glued to their TV sets. Pretty much as Manny Pacquiao’s boxing bouts came to be known in our time.

The success of the PBA aside from the derring-dos in the basketball court also drew on its star appeal as the pioneering batches produced some of the most good-looking players in Philippine basketball history: Robert Jaworski, Mon Fernandez, Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera, Allan Caidic, Jojo Lastimosa, Benjie Paras, Hector Calma and Ronnie Magsanoc, among others. The team to bet on was Purefoods and Ginebra San Miguel. One could say that the PBA at one point was both the No.1 sports and the No. 1 form of entertainment thereabouts; people to this day speak of the high noon of Philippine basketball as evidenced in the high popularity of the Toyota vs. Crispa rivalry. And then came the slow decline and the years rolled on and the PBA continued to exist, holding on to its loyal followers but never really replicating its glory days until it found a new home — a new platform on AKTV/Sports5 of broadcast network TV5.

When TV5 bagged the rights to air PBA in 2011, the challenge for the network was how to make the league more popular again, particularly for the new generation of basketball fans. The crucial decision was to establish AKTV/Sports5 as a dedicated, laser-focused group that coordinates all efforts into making the PBA rise and shine again. A lot of marketing and publicity efforts came into play but more importantly, the production values were beefed up. Sports5 management, helmed at that time by Bobby Barreiro, made sure that each game has a story to tell thus, creating fan affinity.  The strategy worked as such that on its first year, PBA was winning receipts at the gates and ratings on air.

Today, after two seasons of joint hard work between the network and the PBA members and partners, the PBA is once again in the cusp of attaining its pre-eminent position as the No. 1 professional league in the country and of basketball as the nation’s most-viewed sports as can be attested by the PBA finals live telecast on TV5 and Aksyon TV that was just aired recently.  In the Commissioner’s Cup doubleheader last May 8, played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the PBA set the all-time high at the Big Dome with 23,108 fans. It broke the record of 22,902 set back on Aug. 24, 2008 during the Game 7 of the Fiesta Conference Finals between Ginebra and Air 21. (The then ABC 5 was the broadcast partner of the league at that time.)

“Last night’s highest recorded attendance speaks to the fans’ trust and belief in the PBA’s genuine pursuit of excellence. Records are meant to be broken. They are there precisely to serve as benchmarks, as an inspiration and a challenge to build on the legacy left by those who nurtured the league in the past 37 years,” said PBA commissioner Chito Salud in a statement. According to coach Chot Reyes, head of Sports5, “We felt that with such a great product, the PBA deserved to be seen by more viewers, and compared to IBC-13, TV5’s reach was far more extensive. And the numbers bore us out — we averaged close to 25 percent reach nationwide through the Finals — unprecedented in recent years. On the part of TV5, it delivered a different kind of audience — the PBA audience — to its primetime block. The high TV ratings and the record-breaking live attendance, to my mind go hand-in-hand.” A day after setting its highest attendance, the PBA Board approved the proposal of TV5 air the Best-of-Five Finals exclusively on TV5.

What is evident from the figures coming out of our TV viewership data is that the partnership between PBA and TV5/Sports5 is transforming the landscape of sports broadcasting in the country and continues to grow from strength to strength. For example, the PBA Finals series between the Alaska Aces and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, which was seen on TV5 with simulcast on AksyonTV (Channel 41 in Metro Manila; Channel 29 in Metro Cebu and Metro Davao). Radio play-by-play would also be heard on Radyo5 92.3 NewsFM and on DZSR 918AM, averaged 2.5 million viewers or an audience share of 18.4 percent, according to the Nielsen Media Research NUTAM data. It would hit a high of three million people or generating a 26-percent audience share for TV5 on the primetime block.

In Game 3, carried on by a bandwagon effect of simultaneous TV and radio  broadcasts, PBA set a new record in crowd attendance at the SMART Araneta Coliseum with 23,436 fans. The attendant TV viewership also peaked at a high of four million viewers during the fourth quarter. This represented a 31.2-percent audience share for the exciting finish of Game 3 that saw the Alaska Aces sweeping the series against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. The peak of four million viewers matched last year’s Commissioner’s Cup Game 7 viewership numbers that saw BMEG Llamados win against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. The numbers have been the best in the league’s recent history marking the strong partnership between TV5 and the PBA.

Looking ahead, coach Chot has this to say, “Where to take it from here is really up to the commissioner and the board, as the direction of the PBA is really driven by the commissioner and the PBA board. As TV partner, our job is really just to cover the games and market it to the public. That’s the traditional role of the broadcaster. So from my end, I want to take the relationship to a more active partnership whereby we work hand-in-hand not only in actively promoting the league, but in being able to use our insights and my own basketball expertise to help chart the PBA’s near-term future.”

He also said that the network was committed to airing the PBA games and will continue to support its expansion in terms of reaching out to all corners of the archipelago as well as among overseas Filipinos.

According to PBA commissioner Chito, “The PBA board found the stronger, clearer and more widespread signal and reach of Channel 5 to be appropriate and consistent with the league’s thrust to reach out to the league’s fans nationwide on a broader basis.” To which, coach Chot would emphasize, “This excitement level for this year’s Commissioner’s Cup is truly unprecedented, with more fans either tuning in or watching the games at the venue. The PBA is now a TV must-see. And with the games on TV5 and Aksyon41, more viewers will be able to satisfy their thirst for gripping basketball action.”

Like the legendary phoenix bird that rises from its ashes, the PBA and basketball have once again risen to take its place among the hearts and passions of Pinoys everywhere; and Sports5 is sure to get these games to them — wherever they may be in the globe.